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Former Big Sky State Games executive director to light torch with Olympians

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BILLINGS — Karen Sanford Gall, former Big Sky State Games executive director, will light the torch with track and field Olympians at the 40th anniversary Big Sky State Games Opening Ceremonies.

Along with Sanford Gall, Duncan Atwood, Willie Banks, Erin Aldrich Shean, Andre Phillips and Mac Wilkins will speak and be part of lighting ceremonies. The event will take place Friday July 18th at the Lockwood High School stadium.

State Games Opening Ceremonies festivities include the Soaked Run, climbing wall, family entertainment, Food Truck Olympics, games, parade of athletes, Montana Mile, Montana 100, and torch lighting. The ceremony is free to attend.

Sanford Gall was the Executive Director for the Big Sky State Games for 24 years and employed by the Big Sky State Games since 1990. She retired in 2019. Sanford Gall was a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon (’92,’96, ’00, 04). As a collegiate athlete Karen ran for the University of Wyoming.

She was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. She holds many records with the Governor’s Cup and Montana Women’s Run.

Karen grew the mission of the Games to include healthy lifestyle events that included Shape Up Montana and Big Sky Fit Kids. Also, Sanford Gall played an integral role in starting the YES Cross Country Meet and the management of the Heart and Sole Race. Sanford Gall has dedicated over 30 years inspiring Montanan’s to live a healthy lifestyle.

Along with Sanford Gall, track and field Olympians from the World Record Track and Field Camp will join the torch lighting ceremony.

Following are biographies of Olympians scheduled to appear:

Mac Wilkins, Discus: Former Discus World Record Holder (1976), Gold Medalist (1976 Olympic Games), Silver Medalist (1984 Olympic Games), Gold Medalist (1979 Pan American Games). Wilkins is the former Discus World Record Holder. He broke the world record a total of four times. He ranked as the number one Discus thrower in the world from 1976 to 1980. Wilkins is the former USATF Throws Coach at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

Andre Phillips, Hurdles:Olympian, Gold Medal-1988, 1985 World Cup Champion, 1985 USATF Outdoor Champion, 1981 NCAA Champion, 2009 USATF Hall of Fame. Phillips is best remembered for winning a gold medal in the Seoul, Korea Olympic Games in 1988, beating Edwin Moses who was undefeated in more than 100 races. Phillips is an educator, receiving his Phd. in Education.

Duncan Atwood, Javelin: 1980, 1984 Olympian, two-time winner of the Pan American Games 1979, 1987, World Cup Finalist and a one-time World Championship Finalist. He was a clinician at the Ironwood Throws Camp and currently is the assistant coach for Pacific Lutheran University.

Erin Aldrich Shean, High Jump: 2000 Olympian, four-time World Championship team, Pan American Bronze Medalist. Shean competed at the 2000 Olympic Games and the World Championships in 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2007. Shean played volleyball at the highest level, competing for the United States women’s national volleyball team. She competed at the university level for the Texas Longhorns in both sports.

Willie Banks, Long Jump and Triple Jump: World Record Triple Jump Holder (1985-1995), Olympian (1980,1984,1988), Silver Medalist World Championships (1983). Banks is the former World Record holder in the triple jump. Banks held the record for over 10 years, and was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1999. He currently coaches at a local high school in California and often travels around the world teaching triple jump clinics.

For the sixth year prior to Opening Ceremonies, Banks will lead the State Games World Record Track & Field Camp on July 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lockwood High School.

The entry fee is $150 (includes camp and BSSG Track and Field registration). The coaches’ fee is free if three or more of the coaches’ athletes attend. Register at bigskygames.org under Track & Field. Registration for the camp closes July 13th.

The track and field camp is sponsored by the Midland Roundtable. Wendy’s sponsors Opening Ceremonies. Major sponsors of the Big Sky State Games are Kampgrounds of America, First Interstate Bank, Rebel River Creative, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana. For information go to bigskygames.org or call 406-254-7426.





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Texas A&M volleyball vs Nebraska game score: Live updates

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Texas A&M opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) and outside hitter Taylor Humphrey (11) celebrate a score during the NCAA Division I volleyball playoff game against TCU at Reed Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 in College Station, Texas.

Texas A&M opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) and outside hitter Taylor Humphrey (11) celebrate a score during the NCAA Division I volleyball playoff game against TCU at Reed Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 in College Station, Texas.

Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman

In a season full of heroic feats, Texas A&M volleyball might be facing its greatest challenge yet Sunday.

The Aggies are eyeing a spot in the Final Four for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and standing in their way are the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. A&M (26-4) is in the midst of its best season in over a decade. They won 25 or more games for the first time since 2012, winning 26 for the first time since the 2001 Elite Eight run. They took down a No. 2-ranked Texas team and a handful of other ranked squads this season. And, maybe most importantly, they just pulled a reverse sweep to eliminate Louisville, last year’s national runner-up, in the Sweet 16. 

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RELATED: Recap, highlights as Aggies reverse sweep to upset Louisville

Nebraska, though, presents a higher hurdle. The regional hosts are a perfect 30-0 and haven’t loss a set in exactly a month (UCLA took one during a 3-1 loss Nov. 14 to the Huskers). The Cornhuskers are ranked No. 1 in the country, according to RPI; A&M is 10th and Louisville, the team the Aggies just beat, is ninth.

Can Texas A&M pull off another upset and make it to Kansas City, Mo. for program’s first-ever volleyball Final Four? Stay tuned for live updates:

Elite Eight live updates  

A 5-3 Nebraska run has the fourth set up for grabs.

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Logan Lednicky’s 17th kill of the match put Texas A&M up 19-14, which Nebraska cut to 19-15 on a Rebeka Allick kill and then 19-16 on Bergen Reilly’s service ace. That then became 19-17 on a Kyndal Stowers attack error. And another Stowers attack error made it 19-18 and the Aggies have called their final timeout.

A third straight kill by Logan Lednicky made it a 16-10 lead for Texas A&M, which became a 17-11 lead on an Emily Hellmuth kill, which then led to an 18-12 advantage. A Morgan Perkins attack error made it 18-13, and a kill from Harper Murray made it 18-14.

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Texas A&M has called a timeout.

Texas A&M came out of the Nebraska timeout with a quick point off a Huskers attack error, leading 11-7, but a Taylor Landfair kill stopped a 4-0 Aggies run. But Kyndal Stowers put A&M up 12-8, which Nebraska’s Harper Murray turned into 12-9 on another kill from her.

But a Huskers service error put A&M up 13-9, which Nebraska then cut to 13-10 off an Andi Jackson kill. The Aggies then pushed that lead to 15-10 on a pair of Logan Lednicky kills, and the Huskers have called their final timeout, trailing 15-10 and down 2 sets to 1.

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This fourth set was back-and-forth, but Texas A&M has gained momentum. The Huskers were up 5-2 early, but a 4-1-run for A&M has given the Aggies a 10-7 advantage.

Nebraska, trailing 2-1 in sets, has called a timeout.

Texas A&M and Nebraska are headed to a fourth set.

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The Aggies and Huskers traded points out of the A&M timeout to make it a 21-18 Nebraska lead, which became 22-18 after a Logan Lednicky shot that went wide.  A&M made it 22-19, but Kyndal Stowers’ serve then went long, giving the ball back to Nebraska, which then went up 24-19 after a Lednicky error.

On set point. Emily Hellmuth had a kill to make it a 24-20 score, but Harper Murray gave the Huskers the set with her 16th kill.

A&M’s timeout at 10-5 was a good move. A 4-0 run made it a 10-9 game, which the Huskers extended to 11-9 on a Harper Murray kill. Teraya Sigler’s service ace made it 12-9, but Ifenna Cos-Okpalla stopped the bleeding with a kill.

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But a quick kill from Rebekah Allick and a Virginia Adriano kill made it 14-10. A&M, down to its final challenge, successfully challenged a net infraction that turned it into a 13-11 game which soon became 14-12 after Emily Hellmuth’s ninth kill of the match. The Huskers and Aggies went back and forth from there 16-15 Nebraska, 17-15 Nebraska and then 18-15 Nebraska after a Kyndal Stowers attack error.

But Stowers made up for it with a kill for 18-16, then Tatum Thomas’s service ace made it 18-17.

An Allick kill made it 19-17 and Murray made it 20-17 on her 15th kill.

The Aggies, up 2-0 in sets, have called timeout at 20-17.

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Nebraska, facing a do-or-die situation in the third set, doesn’t look like it will go down easy.

The Huskers have jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the third set after a Harper Murray kill, a Bergen Reilly ace and a Virginia Adriano kill.

A&M has called a timeout, trailing 10-5.

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The Aggies won the first two sets 25-22, 25-22.

Texas A&M is one set away from advancing to the Final Four after shocking No. 1 Nebraska by taking the first two sets in their NCAA regional final in Lincoln, Neb.

After taking a timeout leading 24-22, Logan Lednicky’s kill down the line gave the Aggies the set.

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Through two sets, Emily Hellmuth and Kyndal Stowers each have 10 kills to lead the Aggies. Lednicky has seven. A&M is hitting .292 to Nebraska’s .275 and has eight aces to Nebraska’s three.

Up 24-20, Nebraska won back-to-back points to cut A&M’s lead to 24-22.

The Aggies have called a timeout.

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An Emily Hellmuth kill (her eighth of the match) put Texas A&M up 20-16, which became 21-16 after a Nebraska attack error. The Huskers cut that to 21-17 off a Taylor Landfair kill. Kyndal Stowers’ eighth kill made it 22-17. Nebraska cut it to 22-18, but Stowers made it 23-18. Logan Lednicky made it 24-20.

Nebraska called a timeout trailing 14-11 in the second set, but the break didn’t do the trick. Texas A&M has battled for a 19-15 advantage off kills from Morgan Perkins and Emily Hellmuth, and the Huskers have called another timeout.

The Aggies have eight aces so far. That’s a season high.

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After dropping the first set 25-22, Nebraska opened the second set with an ace, but soon the set followed the first-set storyline: back and forth, with A&M getting the advantage on the longer points but the Huskers faring better up front at the net. 

Taylor Landfair crosscourt shtot made it 11-10 Nebraska, but the Aggies ralled for a 14-11 lead.

The Huskers have called a timeout.

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Texas A&M has made a big statement in this match, shocking Nebraska by taking the first set 25-22.

The Aggies trailed 15-10, then went on a 10-0 scoring run to turn their deficit into a 20-15 lead.

From there, it was back and forth. An Emily Hellmuth service error made it 22-21, and Morgan Perkins’ kill put A&M up 23-21. The Cornhuskers answered to make it 23-22, but Kyndal Stowers’ kill made it 24-22 and then the Aggies won the set on a service ace.

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Hellmuth and Stowers are leading the way early; they both have five kills to lead the team.

It was only the third time Nebraska has dropped the opening set all season.

This information will be filled in once available. 

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This information will be filled in once available. 

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Where: John Cook Arena at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.



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Live Discussion Nebraska Volleyball vs Texas A&M

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#1 Nebraska vs. #6 Texas A&M

When: Sunday, December 14th at 2 pm CT

Where: Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Below is the remaining schedule for the tournament throughout the month of December. Check out the NCAA bracket here.

Third Round Matches
December 11th (# are seeds in the last AVCA Coach’s Poll)
#11 Creighton Defeated #8 Arizona State 3-1
#2 Kentucky Defeated Cal Poly 3-0
#4 Pitt Defeated #17 Minnesota 3-0
#12 Purdue Defeated #7 SMU 3-1

December 12th
#3 Texas Defeated #15 Indiana 3-0
#10 Wisconsin Defeated #5 Stanford 3-1
#6 Texas A&M Defeated #9 Louisville 3-2
#1 Nebraska Defeated #16 Kansas 3-0

Fourth Round Matches
December 13th
#2 Kentucky Defeated #11 Creighton 3-0
#4 Pitt Defeated #12 Purdue 3-1

December 14th
#1 Nebraska vs #6 Texas A&M 2:00 pm CT on ABC
#3 Texas vs #10 Wisconsin 6:30 pm CT ESPN

#1 Nebraska Cornhuskers (33-0, 20-0 B1G)

Key Wins: Kentucky, Pitt, Wisconsin
Key Losses: None
NCAA Path: LIU 3-0, Kansas State 3-0, #16 Kansas 3-0

#6 Texas A&M Aggies (26-4, 14-1 SEC)

Key Wins: Louisville, Texas, Minnesota
Key Losses: Texas (SEC Tournament), Kentucky, TCU, SMU
NCAA Path: Campbell 3-0, #20 TCU 3-1, #9 Louisville 3-2



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Bulldog Indoor Track and Field Teams Find Success at CSS Opener

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The University of Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s track and field teams didn’t have to travel far Saturday to compete in the first meet of their season, competing in CSS Opener inside the Burns Wellness Center on the campus of the College of St. Scholastica.

 

The women’s side had eight first place finishers and performers, which included a relay team. Kate Fitzgerald won the 60m race with a time of 7.74, a new PR for the senior. Another PR was run by 60m hurdle champion sophomore Lilian Wanzek, who ran to a 9.09. Wanzek also won the long jump with a distance jumped of 5.52. 

 

Junior 600m runner Emily Bastain earned a first place finish and PR time of 1:38.16, a race in which the Bulldogs took the first five spots, including junior Madi Wodele in second with a PR of 1:38.42. 

 

Other first place finishers on the indoor track included sophomore Avary Fitzpatrick in the 400m (59.54) and junior Ellie Hanowski in the 3000m (10:43.93). The Bulldog 4×400 relay of Wodele, Kuechle won in a 4:09.26

 

In addition to Wanzek’s jump, two other first place spots in field events were scooped up by UMD, including sophomore Sophie Mahnke in the high jump (1.55m), and freshman Ilm’aime Ntambwe in the triple jump (11.28m).

 

24 women earned top-three spots on the podium Saturday.

 

On the men’s side, freshman Nolan Bien ran to a 8.39 in the 60m hurdles to finish on top, while sophomore Austin Kehr posted a 1:22.52 in the 600m. The Bulldogs 4×400 relay of Brady Johnson, R. Olson, Bien and J. Heimkes finished first with a time of 3:28.48.

 

Senior jumper Will Heydt jumped to a PR of 7.04m to best his field, and then recorded a meet and venue record of 14.90 – that doubled as another PR – in the triple jump. Sophomore Noah Rodenwald won the pole vault with a height of 4.40.

 

In all, 16 men’s competitors earned top-three places.





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Nebraska volleyball vs Texas A&M live updates, score and highlights

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Updated Dec. 14, 2025, 3:39 p.m. CT

The Nebraska volleyball team (33-0) plays in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament after sweeping Kansas on Friday. The Huskers face the Texas A&M Aggies (26-4), who defeated Louisville in a reverse sweep.

Nebraska’s offense ranks first nationally with a .355 hitting percentage. The defense is equally impressive, ranking first nationally in opponent hitting percentage, .121. 

Junior Harper Murray leads the team, averaging 3.47 kills and 2.18 digs per set, and has a team-high 31 aces. Setter Bergen Reilly runs the offense at an elite level with an average of 10.41 assists and 2.70 digs per set. Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.79 kills per set on .486 hitting with 1.16 blocks per set. 





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Nebraska vs. Texas A&M volleyball live: Schedule, scores, highlights

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Updated Dec. 14, 2025, 4:20 p.m. ET



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NCAA volleyball tournament live: Schedule, scores, highlights

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Updated Dec. 14, 2025, 4:08 p.m. ET



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