NEW ORLEANS, La.—Four members of the Babson College track & field program were recognized for their success in competition with United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-East Region accolades on Wednesday afternoon. 

Graduate student Anthony Rodriguez (Prairie View, Ill.) earned his third straight honor in the men’s 10,000 meters and received his second consecutive award in the 5000 meters, sophomore Chris McDonough (North Andover, Mass.) garnered all-region laurels in the 100-meter dash for the second year in row, and first-year Aithan Bezanson (Danvers, Mass.) is the Beavers’ first all-region selection in the decathlon. Fellow rookie Amrit Rehal (Alpharetta, Ga.) also became the first Babson female to collect USTFCCCA All-East Region recognition since 2022 with her success in the high jump. 

Since 2015-16, the USTFCCCA has been awarding all-region honors to the top five individuals in each event in addition to the members of the top three relay teams. 

Rodriguez, who claimed his third straight NEWMAC title in the 10,000 meters last month, recorded a season-best time of 29:43.74 at the Raleigh Relays on March 27 that was tops among east region competitors this spring. He also competed in the 5000 meters three times this spring and his best time of the year (14:27.16) achieved at Bucknell’s Bison Outdoor Classic on April 13 ranked third in the region. 

A two-time NCAA National Championships qualifier, Rodriguez is now a three-time USTFCCCA All-East Region honoree in the 10,000 meters (2023, 2024, 2025) and two-time recipient in the 5000 meters (2024, 2025). He also owns five conference titles, was selected as the NEWMAC Track Athlete of the Year in 2023 and 2024, and is the program-record holder in both the 5000 meters (14:18.05) and 10,000 meters (29:43.61). 

McDonough collected USTFCCCA All-East Region accolades for the second year in a row after ranking second with his time of 10.56 in the 100-meter dash at MIT’s Sean Collier Invitational on April 19. The mark was the second fastest in program history behind his school record of 10.54 set last March at the Raleigh Relays. 

Bezanson ranked first among east region athletes in the decathlon with his school-record score of 6355 achieved at the UMass Multi Meet on April 8-9. He recorded his top marks of the season in the long jump, shot put, 400 meters, pole vault and 1500 meters at UMass, and also set a school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.94 at MIT on April 19.

Rehal put together a terrific rookie season that included breaking a 23-year-old record in the high jump while ranking second in the region in the event. She broke the record by clearing 5-feet, 5-inches in her collegiate debut at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational on March 22 and then bettered the mark by clearing 5-feet, 5.25-inches in the Farley Inter Regional at Williams on May 10. 

Rehal, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the NCAA National Championships, joins Angelina Raffone ’19 (2019) and Katherine Jacobs ’22 (2021, 2022) as the only Babson females to earn USTFCCCA All-East Region honors.  

SAN DIEGO — Middle blocker BayLea Sparks has been added to the San Diego volleyball roster as a redshirt junior transfer from High Point University, head coach Jennifer Petrie announced on Thursday morning. 

“We are thrilled to have BayLea join our USD family this season,” Petrie said. “Her experience and training at a high-level program is going to elevate our gym in new ways, and her competitive spirit will be instrumental in creating a new identity for our team this fall. Please join me in welcoming BayLea to San Diego!”

A native of Grand Junction, Colorado, Sparks joins the Torero program after two tremendous seasons competing for the Panthers as she was a Big South First Team All-Conference selection during the 2024 season. Sparks started and played in 28 games for High Point in 2024 as she ranked second on her team in blocks (105), fourth in points (235.5), fifth in kills (178) and led the way in hitting percentage (.393). 

Helping to lead the Panthers to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2024, Sparks set a career-high with 13 kills in a home victory over Winthrop and broke the program record in single match blocks with 13 on the road against USC Upstate. Beginning her collegiate career on a high note as well, Sparks was a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week selection and ranked second in the Big South in block average with a 1.07 per game in 2023. Her strong play as a freshman helped her earn a spot on the Big South’s All-Conference Second Team as well as All-Freshman Team honors. 

The 6-foot-2 middle blocker attended Fruita Monument High School and competed for United Volleyball Club of the Rockies as a prep athlete. Sparks began playing competitive volleyball at 14 years old and also played soccer before committing full-time to volleyball in high school. She comes from an athletic background as her mother Kelly played collegiate basketball at Trinidad State.

Excelling academically in high school, Sparks accumulated a 4.0 GPA and was named both a Superintendent Scholar and to the 5A All-State Academic Team. Sparks will study finance at USD. 

San Diego Volleyball will begin their 2025 season in August.

By Anthony Richards

When Andor Gyulai and Vanessa Summers-Gyulai first moved to the Ponte Vedra area about three years ago they felt like it was a great community to develop beach volleyball players and even Olympians.

So, they got right to work trying to make that happen and three years later, multiple beach volleyball courts are about to be opened on June 1 as part of the Nocatee community.

“When we arrived here, we knew there were some resources needed and one of them was beach volleyball, because it’s so far for the kids to go to Jax Beach from here,” Gyulai said. “So, I approached the county and made the proposition to them that there are some really great things with beach volleyball in the country, because it’s now in every single high school in the area and it’s the fastest growing sport in NCAA history.”

Gyulai’s expectations for the area are high and he has lofty goals that know with these designated beach volleyball courts located at 707 Little River Road in Ponte Vedra, all those goals are now within reach.

“We came here to raise some beach volleyball Olympians and what’s so exciting is that know we have this avenue to do it,” Gyulai said. “We think this is an incredible location where we can tap into the Nocatee community and really build something special here.”

It will start with some camps this summer for high school and elite middle school players with parents able to learn more about the opportunities at www.stjohnsbeachvolleyball.com.

According to Summers-Gyulai, some of the best beach volleyball players in the world are shorter, which shows that you don’t need to be extremely tall to be successful at the top level in beach volleyball as opposed to maybe the indoor side of things.

“It’s been well established that you don’t have to have crazy height in order to really have a huge trajectory if you choose the sport, which is exciting,” Summers-Gyulai said. “I tell the moms we work with that what’s happening for volleyball for girls has never happened before and the level of popularity is so extreme, and it only continues to grow. Here at St. Johns Beach Volleyball, we’re super passionate about the sport but one of our trademarks is that it’s bigger than volleyball because we’re teaching them life skills to thrive no matter what they choose to do.”

Gyulai has more than 32 years and 50,000-plus hours developing elite volleyball players and has created more than 2,500 instructional videos with some of the sport’s greatest players and coaches, and he cannot wait to continue to pass that on to the local community more than he already does as the head coach of the Ponte Vedra High boys volleyball varsity team where his son Thor plays.

“Just think about how special it’s going to be come those Florida summer evenings with the lights on here (at the beach courts), there’s just something special about that,” Gyulai said.

DEKALB, Ill. – Kamiya Dendy (Anderson, S.C./Pendleton) of the Northern Illinois University women’s track and field team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division I West First Round in College Station, Texas, May 28-31, hosted by Texas A&M at E.B. Cushing Stadium

Dendy, who became the first Huskie to win the high jump at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships last weekend, is seeded 32nd at the NCAA West First Round after winning the conference meet and earning First Team All-MAC honors. 

The Anderson, S.C., native cleared 1.79 meters (5-10.50) at the MAC Championships, the second-best mark in the high jump in NIU history, behind only Channel Palmer who cleared 1.83 meters (6-00.00) at the Drake Relays in 2017. 

Dendy is the fourth Huskie to qualify for the NCAA First Round in the high jump since 2014, joining Claudette Day (2014), Palmer (2015, 2016 and 2017) and Arianna Calloway (2024). 

The women’s high jump competition will take place on the final day of the NCAA West First Round on, Saturday, May 31, and is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT. 

JONESBORO, Ark. (5/22/25) – The Arkansas State University Athletics Department announced Thursday that it has launched its 2025 volleyball and 2025-26 men’s and women’s basketball season-ticket renewal process, as well as that new season tickets are on sale for all three sports coming off Sun Belt Conference championships.
 
The Red Wolves’ volleyball and men’s basketball teams both claimed Sun Belt regular-season titles this past year while advancing to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship (NIVC) and National Invitational Tournament (NIT), respectively. A-State’s women’s basketball program won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2024-25 before making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Season-ticket prices for the 2025 volleyball campaign remain unchanged, while changes to the pricing structure for men’s and women’s basketball are being implemented for the first time in over a decade. The season-tickets renewal deadline for all three sports is set for Aug. 1, 2025.
 
Lower-level men’s basketball tickets will continue to require a per-seat donation to the Red Wolves Foundation (RWF). Those donations count toward the rewards-based priority points system to provide better opportunities for not only home ticket options, parking locations and activities surrounding home A-State game days, but also tickets options for future postseason appearances. Information about priority points can be found by clicking HERE or visiting RedWolvesFoundation.com.
 

 

Information and pricing for men’s and women’s basketball suites at First National Bank Arena can be obtained by contacting the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401.

 

New this season, a 5% “One Pack” fee will be applied to ticket prices only (not the per-season donation to the Red Wolves Foundation) for all ticketed A-State sports. The minimal fee will allow A-State Athletics to be more aligned with various initiatives being implemented by peer institutions across the country with sweeping changes occurring within the college athletics landscape.

 

New season ticket purchases can be made by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets.  Renewals can be completed by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets and logging into the ticket holders account (https://am.ticketmaster.com/arkstate/invoice).  Questions and requests for additional information can be directed to the Red Wolves Foundation by e-mailing redwolvesfoundation@astate.edu or calling 870-972-2401.

 

Phil Dalhausser sees the light at the end of the tunnel as he prepares to play in the AVP League opener Friday at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.

The 2008 Olympic gold medalist and four-time Olympian is retiring from playing with the world’s top beach volleyball players after the 2025 season.

“Enough is enough,” said Dalhausser, who will partner with Trevor Crabb on the Palm Beach Passion team in Delray. “The sport has been good to me. I’ve been around long enough. I’m excited to play again in this area. I know it helps USA Beach Volleyball.”

Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson are also excited to team up with Dalhausser again this year. The 2024 Olympic silver medalists are hoping to accomplish big things when the two-night tournament concludes on Saturday.

“Let’s run it back,” said Humana-Paredes, who played indoor volleyball collegiately with Wilkerson at York University in Toronto. “It’s a thrill to be able to represent Palm Beach. The AVP is changing the game of beach volleyball, and we’re so happy to be a part of this local event.”

Wilkerson agreed with Humana-Paredes and said that the game plan is “pretty simple.” Go out there and execute and have that next play mentality. “This year, we feel a lot more excitement,” Wilkerson said. “Last year, we didn’t qualify for the championships, so it’s time to represent and show up.”

Dalhausser and Crabb (Palm Beach Passion) will go up against the Brooklyn Blaze (Sean Cook/Brian Miller) at 8 p.m. Friday. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson (Palm Beach Passion) will also face the Brooklyn Blaze (Terese Cannon/Megan Kraft) at 9 p.m. Friday.

Former NBA small forward Chase Budinger is looking forward to the festivities. After watching on television at home last year, Budinger is teaming up with Miles Evans on the San Diego Smash. Budinger and Evans take on the Dallas Dream (Andy Benesh/Miles Partain) at 6 p.m. Friday.

Kylie Deberg/Hailey Harward (Dallas Dream) follow that matchup with their own against Toni Rodriguez/Geena Urango (San Diego Smash) at 7 p.m.

“These types of games, they are high-paced, fast games,” said Budinger, a National Player of the Year in volleyball at La Costa Canyon High School in San Diego, Calif. “Serving tough is the biggest thing to focus on heading in.”

Budinger, at 6-foot-7, was named California Mr. Basketball in high school, when he also captured the McDonald’s High School All-American Game co-MVP with Kevin Durant in 2006.

After playing one season of international basketball in Spain, Budinger said he doesn’t regret making a career change.

“I think the biggest thing that I love about beach volleyball is that it’s a unique and amazing lifestyle,” Budinger continued. “I get to bike to work everyday. My office is out in the sunshine, with a nice breeze on the sand. I can never be grumpy or mad. I get to travel around the world, exploring these different countries and cities.”

The AVP League opener is a two-day event, and tickets start at $23 and are available at avp.com/tickets. It will be televised on the CBS Sports Network (Friday) and on the CW Network (Saturday). The best-of-three series features games that go up to 15 points, instead of the normal 21.

“From a fan’s perspective, this tournament may be better for them because it doesn’t last as long,” said Dalhausser, a University of Central Florida alum (2004) who partnered with Avery Drost last year. “You’ve got great seats here. Most settings are standing room only. I know the community here will come on down and enjoy. They always do.”