St. Laurence’s Harley Rizzs became the first individual track champion in program history when he won the Class 2A 100 meters last year.

Not only is he gunning for a repeat, he and the Vikings are trying to bring home their first state trophy after missing out on a third-place state finish by one point last year.

The Vikings have plenty of firepower heading into the IHSA state meet, which starts May 29 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

At the Ridgewood Sectional on May 21, Rizzs won the 100 in 10:81 seconds, just ahead of teammate Monroe Thompson Jr., who finished second at 11.08.

In the 200, Viking Joey Philip won with a 22.36 and Rizzs was right next to him with a 22.47.

Luis Flores won the 1,600 with a 4:40.62 and the 3,200 with a 9:46.77.

The Vikings’ 4×100 relay team of Thompson, Rizzs, Isaiah Little and Philip finished first with a 42.85 while the 4×200 relay team of Rizz, Jacob Diaz, Little and Philip won with a 1:30.42.

Also at Ridgewood, Chicago Christian’s Zachary Van Wyk won the 110 hurdles with a 14.88 and the high jump at 6 feet, 1.5 inches.

At St. Rita, Mount Carmel sophomore twins Michael and Gabriel Valerio finished first and second in the 400 with Michael recording a 51.44 and his brother almost matching him with a 51.58.

Caravan senior Benaiah Burks won the 110 hurdles with a :15.83 and junior Victor Friar claimed the 300 hurdles with a 41.34.

The 4×400 relay team of Jason Isais, the Valerio twins and Friar won with a 3:36.92.

At the Evergreen Park Sectional, Mustang Genesis Ward won the discus with a throw of 138-4.25. Teammate Ellis Jackson won the high jump with a 6-2.

In Class 3A at East Aurora, Sandburg junior Mateo Ramiro-Garcia was a champion in the 800 with a 1:53.14.

At Lyons, Marist’s Matt McKee was a sectional champ in the 1,600 with a 4:19.19 while teammate Patrick Wynn won the triple jump with a 44-5.5.

Brother Rice’s Gavin O’Connor won the 3,200 with a 9:16.34 and teammate Al Crema won the shot put with a 51-11.25.

Lyons’ 4×800 relay team of Charles Ciesla, Tate Pavelka, Ethan Wugazzer and Tyler Gantt placed first with an 8:04.37. Argo’s Mauro Velasquez Jr. won the discus with a 136-10.

At St. Ignatius, Morton junior runners Alex Rodriguez and Orlando Sandoval finished first and second in the 1,600 with Rodriguez coming up with a 4:24.47 and Sandoval right by his side with a 4:24.65. Mustang Noah Bey won the 110 hurdles in 15.88. The 4×800 relay team of Miguel Flores, Christian Valadez, Sandoval and Rodriguez took first with a 7:51.32.

Making a splash

Lyons girls water polo took second in the state after a 6-5 loss to Stevenson in the championship game on May 24 at Stevenson.

Maya Mladjan scored two goals for the Lions, while Isabella Recker, Avery Watanabe and Maddie Wieczorkiewicz had one each.

In boys water polo, Brother Rice lost in the quarterfinals, 15-6 to eventual state champion Naperville North.

Sandburg, Reavis anglers head to state

Sandburg finished third in the Des Plaines River-Big Basin Marine Sectional for bass fishing with a 12.3-pound haul to qualify for the state meet. Nathan Uldrych and Andrius Stankus were on the qualifying boat.

Reavis also qualified with a ninth-place finish and a 7.15-pound haul. Cesar Peralta and Adrian Gasinski were on the advancing boat.

The state meet is June 6-7 at Lake Shelbyville in Shelby County.

Net gains

Although the area did not have a sectional champion, plenty of boys tennis players qualified for the state tournament, which starts May 29 at various sites in the northwest suburbs.

At the Class 2A Sandburg Sectional, state singles qualifiers were Marist’s Jake Klooster, Sandburg’s Aryan Vora and Stagg’s Emerson Kim, who finished second, third and fourth respectively.

Sandburg’s doubles teams of Eamonn McDevitt-Ryan Smith and Neel Patel-Nate Carandang finished third and fourth respectively to qualify.

At the Class 2A Hinsdale Central Sectional Lyons’ doubles teams of Jackson Albee-Rohan Nagale and Fred Chen-Mateja Nokic finished third and fourth respectively and junior Shay Sweigard finished fourth to qualify for state.

Brother Rice’s doubles team of Aidan Alving-Dominic Leodoro took fourth at the Class 1A U-High Sectional to qualify.

Nazareth’s Jack Nisivaco-Ethan Danko took third in the Class 1A Hinsdale South Sectional and qualified.

Soccer teams head to sectionals

Fifth-seeded Lyons won the Class 3A Reavis Regional with a 3-1 win over Fenwick on May 23.

Third-seeded Nazareth beat Elmwood Park 2-0 in the Class 2A Elmwood Park Regional.

Second-seeded De La Salle beat Mansueto 9-0 to win its own Class 2A regional.

Two area teams were still alive at the Class 2A Kankakee Sectional as second-seeded St. Laurence beat Ag. Science 3-0 in its own regional and fifth-seeded Evergreen Park knocked off Tinley Park 3-0 to win the Kankakee Regional.

Baseball, softball teams move on

In small-school action, Chicago Christian baseball and Horizon-McKinley softball won their own Class 2A regionals. 

The Knights beat Peotone 10-0 on May 24 and the Hawks blanked Cristo Rey 18-0 on May 23.

Related

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Eight UT Arlington track and field student-athletes made the trip to College Station with one goal in mind, move on from the NCAA West Regional and make the trip to Oregon for the 2025 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
The West Regionals begin on Wednesday, May 28, and run through Saturday, May 31, with the men’s events taking place on Wednesday and Friday while the women’s events fall on Thursday and Saturday. 
 
To make the final cut, the Mavericks must finish in the top 12 in their respective events at the West Regional.
 
All four day of the meet will be streamed on ESPN+ and you can follow along with live results here.
 
The Mavs will be represented in eight events with five on the men’s side (Alex Kalmar, Kash Powell, Randon Gray, Calen Jones & Hayden Wilson) and three on the women’s side (Adeyemi Talabi, Winnie Kipsang & Zaire Moore).
 
Adeyemi Talabi is the lone Mav to represent UTA in two separate events, competing in the women’s 100m dash and the women’s long jump. Talabi posted a new personal record of 11.36 in the 100m dash at the 2025 WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships which catapulted her into the top 40 in the west region where she currently sits tied for 35th overall. At the WAC Outdoor Championships, Talabi also posted a personal best in the long jump with a mark of 6.17m which has her 50th in the west region.
 
UTA will be represented in the 800m on both the men’s and women’s side. The lone event that features multiple Mavs, Alex Kalmar and Kash Powell will compete in the men’s 800m. Kalmar’s time of 1:47.38 that he ran back in the beginning of May at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational has him currently as the 20th best time in the west. Powell’s time of 1:48.12 he ran back in mid-April at the Bryan Clay Invitational has him currently as the 42nd fastest in the west. On the women’s side, Winnie Kipsang currently has the 28th fastest time of 2:04.72 which she also ran at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational. This is Kipsang’s second straight year punching her ticket to the west regionals.
 
In the men’s high jump, Calen Jones makes his second straight trip to the west regionals. He currently sits 23rd overall in the west with a jump of 2.14m that he posted back at the start of May at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational. Jones’ mark has him ranked the highest in the west amongst all Mavs making the trip.
 
Randon Gray will be looking to return to Eugene where he finished 14th overall and was a Second Team All-American last season. Gray enters the west regionals sitting 26th overall with a mark of 5.33m which he reached at the 44 Farms Invitational back on April 11. Last season, Gray punched his ticket to Oregon on the first day of the west regionals.
 
In the men’s shot put, Hayden Wilson makes his first trip to the west regionals. The reigning WAC indoor and outdoor champion currently sits 40th in the west with a personal best mark of 18.33m which he threw back in late April at the Joe Gillespie Invitational.
 
Zaire Moore makes her second straight trip to the West First Round. The junior currently sits 48th in the west with a time 13.52 in the women’s 100m hurdles. The 13.52 is a personal record for Moore, which she ran at the 2025 WAC Outdoor Championships in which she received a bronze medal for her performance. Last year, she competed in the 400m hurdles at the west regionals.
 

– #BuckEm –

 
FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the UTA track and field and cross country teams on X (formally known as Twitter) (@UTAMavsTFXC), Instagram (@UTAMavsTFXC) and Facebook (/UTAMavsTFXC).
 

Five Tigers Named To WPIAL 3A Volleyball All-Star Team

BIRMINGHAM – Highlighted by a collective departmental 3.36 GPA, UAB student-athletes once again excelled in the classroom during the Spring 2025 semester.
 
“We are unbelievably proud of our student-athletes and their academic achievements this spring,” said A’dja Jones, Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Student-Athlete Support Services. “At UAB, the pursuit of excellence is something we pride ourselves on. Our students are competing, getting into the community to serve, leading campus organizations and programs, and still raising the bar academically. I would like to give a shout-out to our academic staff who work tirelessly to support and guide our student-athletes and our campus partners for their dedication as well. I am excited to see what new heights our students reach in future semesters.”
 
In what has become a pillar of excellence for UAB student-athletes, 14 of 17 teams earned a 3.2 GPA or better, which was led by UAB men’s tennis who had the highest overall GPA of 3.91, followed by UAB beach volleyball who had the highest female team GPA of 3.79.
 
Individually, 97 student-athletes (26 percent) earned a perfect 4.0 Spring GPA, while 105 Blazers (28 percent) were above a 3.5 and 288 (77 percent) were above a 3.0.
 
Additionally, another pillar of giving back to the community was on full display as UAB Athletics served 1,417 hours of community service in the spring semester alone which equated to $49,317 of economic impact.
 
Your Support Fuels Success!
With your help, Blazer Student-Athletes are given the resources, tools, and opportunities they need to achieve greatness. Every contribution you make directly supports our teams, ensuring they excel not only on the field but in the classroom as well. We invite you to renew your support to UAB Athletics today and for more information on ways to show your generosity through the Blazer Scholarship Fund, capital initiatives, and sport specific giving go to blazerboosters.com or call us at (205) 996-9969.
 

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The next phase of the outdoor season is here for qualifying student-athletes from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) track & field teams. UTRGV will be represented by a program-record eight Vaqueros at the NCAA West First Round at E.B. Cushing Stadium. 
 
 Action starts Wednesday as sophomore Keamonie Archie competes in men’s long jump at 4:30 p.m. Also Wednesday, junior Corin Burns and freshman Richard Young will run in the first round of the men’s 200-meter dash at 8:45 p.m. 
 
Thursday will see the women’s student-athletes begin their weekend. At 10 a.m., junior Hannah Hilding will take on the first round of women’s hammer throw. Senior Efe Latham is set for a 6 p.m. start in the women’s shot put first round. Junior Nayla Harris makes her NCAA West debut Thursday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the women’s 100-meter dash.
 
Attention turns back to the men on Friday. Junior Aaron Cooper will compete in the first round of the men’s triple jump for the second consecutive year starting at 2:30 p.m. If Burns and/or Young advanced, they’ll run in the quarterfinals of the 200-meter dash at 7:50 p.m. 
 
The meet wraps up Saturday in Bryan-College Station. Junior Achol Maywin will compete in the women’s high jump semifinals starting at 3:30 p.m. If Harris advanced, she’ll run in the quarterfinals of the 100-meter dash at 6:35 p.m. 
 
There will be six heats of the running events and 24 student-athletes will move on to the next round. To advance to the quarterfinals, the Vaqueros sprinters will be chasing a top three finish in their respective heats or one of the next six best times. Twelve competitors will move on from the quarterfinals to the NCAA Championship meet – the top three finishers in each heat plus the next best three times. 
 
Field event athletes in the throws, long and triple jumps will only get three attempts to try and record one of the 12 best marks in their event to secure a spot at the championship meet. 
 
UTRGV Schedule 
Wednesday, May 28 
Men’s long jump first round, 4:30 p.m. 
Keamonie Archie (F1) 
 
Men’s 200-meter dash first round, 8:45 p.m. 
Corin Burns (H3)
Richard Young (H6)
 
Thursday, May 29 
Women’s hammer throw first round, 10 a.m. 
Hannah Hilding (F2) 
 
Women’s shot put first round, 6 p.m. 
Efe Latham (F1) 
 
Women’s 100-meter dash first round, 7 p.m. 
Nayla Harris (H4) 
 
Friday, May 30 
Men’s triple jump first round, 2:30 p.m. 
Aaron Cooper (F2) 
 
Men’s 200-meter dash quarterfinals, 7:50 p.m. 
TBD
 
Saturday, May 31 
Women’s high jump semifinal, 3:30 p.m. 
Achol Maywin (F2) 
 
Women’s 100-meter dash quarterfinals, 6:35 p.m. 
TBD

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After a standout 21-2 regular season that included a Lake Conference championship and a run of 12 straight victories, the Eden Prairie High School boys volleyball team enters the postseason as the top seed in the Section 2A tournament.

The Eagles wrapped up their schedule with back-to-back five-set wins over Wayzata and Eastview, then defeated Hopkins to clinch the conference title. Their lone loss in the final stretch – and just their second all season – came in straight sets to St. Michael-Albertville (STMA) on Thursday, May 22.

“That was a tough match for us and we just struggled all night,” head coach Steph Chapek said. “Definitely having the late loss was tough for us emotionally. This is an amazing group of seniors and juniors and they are ready for playoffs and left the loss behind us.”

Eden Prairie will face the winner of Tuesday night’s play-in match between Burnsville and Southwest Christian/Holy Family on Wednesday, May 28. A win would send the Eagles to the section semifinal on Friday against either Prior Lake or Mound Westonka. Shakopee and Jefferson – both of whom Eden Prairie beat earlier this season – are top contenders on the other side of the bracket.

Chapek said the team’s adaptability has been a key strength throughout the year, noting that lineup changes and injuries forced the Eagles to evolve.

“We are a different team,” she said, “but also will need to really use our strengths of ball control and teamwork to win our section.”

Setter Deion Lange, a senior captain, said the team is focused heading into the playoffs.

“Last Thursday’s match against STMA we had an off night and they played well,” Lange said. “We talked after as a team and are ready to bounce back heading into sections.”

Lange said the team’s chemistry has developed over several seasons together – both on and off the court.

“I love this team, they are some of my best friends,” he said. “You can often find us grabbing food together after a match and playing sand volleyball on days we don’t have practice.”

Lange also reflected on the broader significance of the 2025 season, the first sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League.

“When I was 12 years old in 2019, I spoke at the Region 6AA board meeting in front of a number of athletic directors,” he said. “I spoke about what volleyball meant to me and why I thought it should be sanctioned. In 2022, several of my teammates and I attended the regional assembly meeting for the official vote. We were heartbroken when it was one vote short from passing. Finally, in 2023, they announced that the vote had passed … just in time for my senior year.”

Chapek credited a skilled and deep roster for the team’s success. Outside hitters Avi Kommalapati and Gabe Hernandez have provided steady play in both the front and back rows. Lange has led the offense at setter, with Ghauthamansankar Padmanaban anchoring the defense. Key contributions have also come off the bench from Daniel Jiang and Om Narendra.

“As far as maturity, we are a very emotional team,” Chapek said. “Learning to channel that emotion and energy back into the team for the benefit of each other has been a big focus.”