Sports

From huddles to hurdles

Published

8 months ago

March 26, 2025

Christian Edgar runs down the field during a game against West Point. Edgar was recruited as a quarterback before becoming a slot receiver.

Courtesy Rice Athletics

For Edgar, football and track aren’t separate pursuits. They complement each other, both physically and mentally.

“You prioritize what you want to do,” he said. “It does limit some things, like hanging out with friends on the weekends—but it’s worth it.”
The constant grind has forced him to be intentional about how he spends his time, and what he sacrifices along the way.

“When football players get their weekends off, I’m at a track meet,” Edgar said. “And when track season is over, I’m going through fall camp and football season.”

“I saw that my time from high school would’ve done okay — not great, but okay,” Edgar said. “And that kind of first put the thought into my mind.”
One of the greatest challenges Edgar faces is not having an offseason.
Warren said Edgar deserves the credit for clear communication with both staffs and managing his own time.

With spring football practice wrapping up, Edgar is preparing to shift his attention fully to the outdoor track season.

“Christian is in charge of making this work,” Warren said. “He communicates with the football staff and the track staff, and due to his diligence, it works well.”
“Football teaches an athlete that to succeed they have to work well with others,” he said. “ Track is a great off-season vehicle for football players to improve their speed.”
Outside of his roles as an athlete, Warren said Edgar has had other effects on the team as well.
On the football field, Edgar’s role has evolved since his arrival at Rice. He was initially recruited as a quarterback, later transitioned to safety and now plays slot receiver under the new offensive system.
“In his event group, he’s made a great impact,” Warren said. “He’s a good leader and has made an impact on the full squad in a positive way.”
Reflecting on his time at Rice so far, Edgar said it’s the journey itself—not just the results—that has been the most rewarding.
“That took a toll on my body,” Edgar said. “I had to focus on nutrition and sleep to stay healthy. If I wasn’t eating enough or getting enough rest, it wasn’t going to work.”
But it’s not just about speed. Edgar believes football’s mental toughness has helped him handle the physical and emotional demands of track competition.
Managing two Division I sports is no small task. Edgar credits his ability to stay on top of both sports to consistent communication and a carefully structured routine. And with Rice’s new football coaching staff in place this year, he said his schedule has become more sustainable.
“My dad has been there when I’m stressed out and need to calm down,” Edgar said. “At the same time, he doesn’t feel sorry for me. He pushes me to make the most of my resources. It’s a really cool opportunity to do two sports, and he reminds me of that.”
During the indoor season, Edgar competes in the 60-meter hurdles. Outdoors, he runs the 110-meter hurdles and is a key member of Rice’s 4×400 relay team.
When Christian Edgar first arrived at Rice, his focus was singular: football. Competing in two sports wasn’t part of the plan, at least not at first. But by the spring of his freshman year, as he stood on the sidelines watching a home track meets, something shifted.

Christian Edgar (middle) runs the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor track AAC Championship Meet March 1. Edgar placed third and was the only Rice athlete to make the podium that day.

Courtesy Rice Athletics

“With football, I think the offense the new coaching staff is bringing in is going to be exciting and fun to watch,” Edgar said. “I’m excited to see where my role lies and how I can best help the team this fall.”
Warren sees the connection between the two sports as well.
Today, he splits his time between being a slot receiver on the football team and competing as one of the track program’s top hurdlers.

By
Ana Rivera

3/25/25 10:46pm

“You have to be gritty,” he said. “You have to be able to suffer and go through hard practices. That’s helped me push through tough workouts in track. And the pressure from football games is greater than the pressure from track meets, at least for me. So at track meets, I can relax a whole lot more. It’s like, ‘I just get to be here and run.’”
“I only have a couple of meets before [the conference meet],” Edgar said. “I’m just taking it one week at a time and trying to get a little better each week.”
Throughout the process, Edgar credits his dad for helping him stay grounded and focused.

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“We do weight room lifts Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Edgar said. “Football runs are Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I was able to replace those with track runs instead. I’m still lifting with football, still around the facility, but instead of running football drills on the field, I’m running track.”
By his sophomore year, Edgar had turned that passing thought into a plan. After working closely with both the football and track coaches to coordinate his training schedule, he officially joined the Rice track and field team.
“Trying to be good at both sports is great,” he said. “But for me, it’s really about enjoying the process. Going through track practices with my track teammates and football workouts with my football teammates — that’s been so cool. Not a lot of people get to do that. It’s a gift, and I am just trying to make the most out of it.”
It’s a more manageable workload than he had in the past. Last year, he wasn’t allowed to miss any football workouts, which often meant double training days—football practice in the morning, track in the afternoon and sometimes even back-to-back competitions.
Last year, he finished seventh in the 110-meter hurdles at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships. This indoor season, he placed third in the 60-meter hurdles at the AAC Championships with a time of 7.90 seconds—ranking him sixth on Rice’s all-time performance list.
“The obvious thing is speed,” Edgar said. “With track, you really train the top end of your speed. That’s helped me on the football field. Coaches love when people are fast — when they can see it on film.”
“When you truly enjoy the training and competition of both sports — and I believe this absolutely applies to Christian — it’s not asking too much,” said Rice track and field head coach Jon Warren. “He’s a big-time competitor who gives his all to both sports.”

Related Topics:athlete athletic big building coach competition event football group high school indoor track new season speed sports team track track and field watch working

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Volleyball Closes Season Against No. 1 Kentucky in NCAA Tournament

Published

1 hour ago

December 5, 2025

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LEXINGTON, KY. – The Wofford volleyball team was defeated by the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Thursday night inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers close the season 17-14 with a 10-6 record in conference action. Kentucky will take on UCLA tomorrow night.

“Our mindset was to come out and leave it out there,” said head coach Lynze Roos. “I feel like we competed in some really good points. They got some separation and that was tough, but I’m really proud of the way that these women competed in the season that we had.”

Wofford totaled 27 kills on 26 assists throughout the match. On defense, the team posted 54 digs and four blocks. The Wildcats finished the match with 45 kills on 44 assists. Kentucky also posted 56 digs and four blocks.

Leading Wofford was Bradley Brown who had 10 kills on a .259 hitting percentage. Brown also led the team with three blocks. Following behind was Chloe Smith with six kills. Maddy Frazier dished out a team-high 13 assists, while Taylor Pecht had 10. Laney Klika recorded a team-high 13 digs, along with 10 from Caroline Przystup. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied one block apiece.

“We talk a lot about playing relentless defense and going for every single ball. We knew that tonight was going to be a tough task, but you never really know unless you go for it,” said Laney Klika.

“We talked a lot before the game about playing how we play and not letting their offense or defense change the way that we like to play,” added Annemarie Rakoski.

“It was amazing just to be able to have some family and friends that I don’t get to see very much anymore come watch me play. It was super cool to just have that support,” said Chloe Smith.

Kentucky grabbed the first two points of set one, but Wofford responded with a solo block by Annemarie Rakoski. Another solo block from Bradley Brown kept the Kentucky lead within one point. With the Wildcats leading 13-8, Kentucky would add four unanswered points to bring the Wofford deficit to nine points. The Terriers could not overcome the Kentucky lead, losing set one 25-11.

The teams were back-and-forth to start set two, as the Terriers would take an early 5-4 lead. Wofford took its biggest advantage – a 15-13 lead – after a pair of Kentucky attacking errors. The Wildcats fought back to take a 20-19 lead, and the team scored the final five points of the stanza to take set two 25-19. Bradley Brown totaled eight kills and one block in the second set alone.

Wofford jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set of the match by way of a Bradley Brown kill. Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run, however, to regain the lead. The Wildcats would eventually take a 13-4 advantage. Wofford cut the deficit to six points a few rallies later, but the team would lose set three and ultimately the match.

Wofford concludes the season 17-14 with a 10-6 mark in Southern Conference play. The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated both No. 6 Samford and No. 2 Furman to reach the championship match. The Terriers took down No. 1 ETSU to win their third-straight conference championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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Sports

Demon Deacons Open Season at Liberty Kickoff

Published

2 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Wake Forest track and field team opened their 2024-25 indoor track schedule on Thursday afternoon as a pair of Demon Deacons competed in the Liberty Kickoff at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

Junior Seren Rodgers secured a third place finish in the pentathlon, totaling 3,771 points. With the result, the Taunton, England, native now sits sixth all-time in program history in the women’s indoor pentathlon.

Overall, Rodgers recorded three podium finishes during the competition, including a pair of runner up results in the long jump, where she recorded a jump of 10.32 meters, and the 800m, crossing the line in 2:19.62. Rodgers also claimed third place in the 60m hurdles after clocking a time of 8.86 seconds.

Meanwhile, freshman Julia Aere also competed in the pentathlon, securing eighth place with 3,462 points in her collegiate debut. The Delray Beach, Fla., native placed inside the top-10 in all five events, highlighted by a third place finish in the shot put after recording a distance of 11.13 meters, as well as a fifth place result in the 800m after recording a time of 2:27.34.

Notable Finishes

Pentathlon

2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History

From the Staff
“I’m really pleased with how the competition progressed today. Julia and Seren competed well and this meet was a great measure of how hard we have worked throughout the fall semester. It gave us a chance to get out, perform at a high level and still recognize that we left some points on the table, which is exciting. We are in a great place heading into the holiday break and this will keep us motivated and hungry. These two ladies set the tone early for the team and we are eager for the rest of the team to compete this weekend.” – Assistant Coach Ryan Grinnell

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The Demon Deacons return to action on Saturday with a pair of meets. One group of Wake Forest athletes will travel to Boston to compete in the 5K race at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Meanwhile, several Deacs will compete at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off at the JDL Fast Track.

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Lopes unveil 2025-26 indoor slate

Published

2 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Grand Canyon unveiled its 2025-26 indoor track and field schedule, which starts this week with the first of eight regular-season meets and concludes with the Mountain West Indoor Championships in late February.

After the Lopes dominant WAC indoor run of 14 conference titles between the men’s and women’s teams, GCU will compete in its first season as a Mountain West member.

Coach Flood celebrates with sprinter after final

Coach Flood celebrates with sprinter after final

“This schedule and competition should prepare both our men’s and women’s teams to make a lot of noise at our inaugural Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, as well as send a lot of our athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships,” GCU head coach Tom Flood said.

Grand Canyon’s indoor schedule will feature meets in trips to Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Reno, Nevada.

“Again, we are really excited about our indoor schedule,” Flood said. “We will again be competing at some of the finest indoor facilities in the country and against some of the best track and field programs in the country.”

The 2025-26 season begins Thursday as the Lopes travel to Reno, Nevada, before taking a break until the new year. From there, they will travel to Flagstaff and Albuquerque before heading back to Reno for the Mountain West Indoor Championships.

GCU aims to represent at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

For the full indoor schedule, click here.

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Men’s and Women’s Track and Field 2026 Season Preview

Published

3 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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A new era in Hope College track and field begins today with the first indoor meet of the 2026 season.

Beginning at noon, the Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are competing at the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open under the leadership of first-year head coach Jordan Bartolazzi, the 11th women’s head coach in program history and the 13th men’s coach.

Bartolazzi, who built his alma mater, Elmhurst University (Illinois), into a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin power before coming to Hope, is thrilled with the progress both teams made during preseason workouts.

“There was a lot of good stuff going on here to build on,” Bartolazzi said. “Our focus, with every practice, has been preparing to compete, whether we’re an All-American or trying to crack the conference lineup. We have a lot of student-athletes working really hard. We’ve been having a ball. There has been really good energy. I think it’s been a good start for us.”

The Flying Dutch, who finished third in the MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, feature a roster of 73, with 17 seniors, 17 juniors, 14 sophomores and 25 freshmen.

The Flying Dutchmen, who also tookl thjird in the MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, have a roster of 64, with 18 seniors, nine juniors, 17 sophomores and 20 freshmen.

Coaching Staff

Head coach: Jordan Bartolazzi, first season

Distance coach: Mark Northuis

Distance assistant coaches: Dan Campbell, Mike Northuis

Throws coach: Paul Markel

Jumps coach: Addy Gerig

Pole vault coaches: Jon Lunderberg, Ben Turner

Women’s Roster

Senior Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) is Hope’s top returner after claiming All-America honors in four events for the second consecutive season in 2025: indoor and outdoor 200 meters and indoor and outdoor 400 meters.

The exercise science major swept MIAA Most Valuable Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete honors as a junior and earned MIAA Most Valuable Indoor Track Athlete accolades in back-to-back seasons. She became the first sprinter in league history to win titles in the 60, 200 and 400 at the same meet.

Schermerhorn set MIAA records in the indoor 200 and 400 meters last season. She also ran on the MIAA champion 4×400 relay, which returns two other sprinters: senior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / Saint Johnsbury Academy) and sophomore Sofia Fisher (Lombard, Illinois / Montini Catholic).

Hope returns three runners from the MIAA champion distance medley relay: senior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South), junior Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd) and sophomore Lily Sackrider (St. Johns, Michigan / St. Johns).

Durow is coming off an All-America cross country campaign this fall. The special education major finished 32nd at the Division III national championships and was runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA Championships.

“We have great leadership,” Bartolazzi said. “Not only do we have some great upperclassmen, but we have some really wonderful seniors who have made an effort to welcome our freshmen and newcomers to the program. It’s a gift to have great senior leadership in year one.”

Men’s Roster

Hope returns senior sprinter Liam Danitz, the 2025 First Team All-MIAA honoree and MIAA Most Valuable Men’s Indoor Track Athlete.

Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) set an MIAA record in the 200-meter dash (21.59), earned First Team All-America honors with a fifth-place national finish in the 200 (21.93), and took second in the 60-meter dash (6.83) for All-MIAA Second Team honors.

The exercise science major also contributed to an All-MIAA Second Team 4×400 relay alongside returning junior Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville).

Senior Erickson Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) returns as the MIAA 800-meter champion after posting a winning time of 1:56.09.

Senior Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) and junior Carter Dean (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) also return from last year’s All-MIAA First Team distance medley relay.

Cole recorded Hope’s top cross country finish at nationals this fall. The Flying Dutchmen placed 23rd in the nation as a team and made history with their first Great Lakes Regional title since 1980 and first MIAA crown since 1986.

Sophomore Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) ran away with the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA individual championships.

“They’re hungry,” Bartolazzi said of the Flying Dutchmen. “Having that breakthrough season in cross country is such a gift. They felt like they were close and believed they could compete at the conference and national levels. They showed they could. That carries over to the track season.”

Schedule

The Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to compete in 10 indoor meets and eight outdoor meets.

The MIAA Indoor Championships are Saturday, Feb. 28, at Trine University.

The NCAA Indoor Championships are Friday-Saturday, March 13-14, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Hope will host the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1, at Brewer Track.

The NCAA Outdoor Championships are Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

“One thing I wanted to do this year was get our student-athletes on banked tracks a little more,” Bartolazzi said. “Nationals will be on a banked track, so I want them to know what that feels like. It’s a great thing in West Michigan — you don’t have to go far to race against really good people.”

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Mustangs Open Track and Field Season This Weekend

Published

3 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Blue-Gold Invite

Loftus Sports Center – South Bend, Indiana

Friday, December 5, 2025

Live Results

McFerrin-12 Degree Invite

Fasken Indoor Track – College Station, Texas

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Live Results | Watch

Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener

BU Track & Tennis Center – Boston, Massachusetts

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Live Results | Watch

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DALLAS, Texas (SMU) — The Mustangs will open up their 2025-2026 track and field season across three different meets this weekend. The distance ponies will split between Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Invite and Boston University’s Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener. The rest of the team will travel to Texas A&M’s McFerrin-12 Degree Invite.

This meet will serve as a soft opener for the Mustangs with the remainder of the season beginning in mid-January. The distance athletes are coming off a successful cross country season, which concluded with an appearance at the national championship for Rose Mburu, but this will be the first competition for the sprints, jumps, and multis after fall training.

The action will begin on Friday at Notre Dame and continue at the other two meets on Saturday.

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Sooners Set to Host OU Winter Field Fest Season Opener

Published

3 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma track and field team is set to host the OU Winter Field Fest on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Mosier Indoor Facility in Norman, Okla.

The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include a combination of field and sprint events.

Admission is free to fans. Live results from the OU Winter Field Fest can be found via TimingInc.

The Sooners are coming off their first season in the SEC, where they claimed seven individual conference titles.

OU Winter Field Fest Schedule of Events
Triple Jump (M) – 1:30 p.m.
Weight Throw (M) – 1:30 p.m.
High Jump (W) – 2:30 p.m.
Triple Jump (W) – 3 p.m.
Pole Vault (W) – 3 p.m.
Weight Throw (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (M) – 3:15 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (W) – 3:30 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (M) – 3:45 p.m.
Long Jump (M) – 4:30 p.m.
Shot Put (M) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (W) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (M) – 4:40 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (W) – 4:50 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (M) – 5 p.m.
Pole Vault (M) – 5:30 p.m.
Long Jump (W) – 6 p.m.
High Jump (M) – 6 p.m.
Shot Put (W) – 6 p.m.

For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.

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