PUEBLO, Colo. – Bowie State senior thrower Yassine Kamara earned a third-place finish in the women’s discus throw at the NCAA Track and Field Championship on Friday afternoon at the CSUP Thunderbowl Stadium.

The Hyattsville, Md., native made an immediate impact with her opening throw, posting a season-best mark of 52.53 meters. With this exceptional performance, Kamara secured a place in the Bowie State history books, becoming the program’s first All-American since 2010.

Kamara will return to action on Saturday, May 24, at 3:15 p.m. ET, competing in the women’s shot put at Thunderbowl Stadium.

For the latest updates on Bowie State Athletics and its 13 varsity sports, visit bsubulldogs.com.

The Huntington Beach, Mater Dei and Sage Hill boys volleyball teams have advanced to CIF Southern California Regional finals that will be played Saturday.

The SoCal Regional champions will play in the first CIF State Championships for boys volleyball on March 31.

All of the regional finals Saturday start at 6 p.m.

Huntington Beach plays at Mira Costa in the Division I regional final. The Oilers lost to Mira Costa in the CIF-SS Division 1 finals last week.

Mater Dei is home Saturday against Francis Parker in the Division II final.

Sage Hill is home against Claremont in the Division III final.

Eastern Illinois baseball sophomore right-handed pitcher Bryce Riggs swings a hammer down while surrounding by his cheering teamates during EIU’s 3-1 win over Lindenwood in the elimination semifinal of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois.

After serving as Eastern baseball’s closer, long-reliever and spot-starter this season, head coach Jason Anderson put a firm label on sophomore right-hander Bryce Riggs’s role: game winner.

Riggs twirled a complete game, 10 strikeout gem against Lindenwood in the elimination semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament Friday evening at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, leading Eastern to a 3-1 win and helping the Panthers advance to the championship round.

“He’ll take the ball in any situation, and that’s why we’ve moved him around,” Anderson said. “As I saw things lining up with the tournament, I had him in mind for this game and he was great. He was spectacular”

Riggs had thrown seven no-hit innings before Lindenwood senior right fielder Filip Sarota broke it up with a leadoff infield single.

He hit a ball that took Eastern senior shortstop Peyton Wilson deep into the hole and his bounce throw got passed senior first baseman Tyler Castro.

“I did know [about the no-hitter], but I didn’t want to think about it,” Riggs said about him pitching at the start of the eighth inning.

It marks the first time Eastern has won a game in which its starter pitched a complete game since Ky Matthews-Hampton tossed a complete game shutout against UT Martin on April 23, 2021.

“[Starting in the OVC tournament] wasn’t something that he was daunted by or afraid of,” pitching coach Max Feske said. “There was nothing timid. He made pitches all night and mixed really well.”

Riggs worked in his fastball, which had a top velocity of 88 mph, with a curveball to right-handed hitters and a looping changeup to left-handed hitters and threw his slider frequently early in the game.

The Lions, who had seven hits combined between both semifinal games, struggled to get the barrel on any of Riggs’s pitches and it took until the ninth for their first extra base hit and run scored.

“It was just really fun to catch,” junior catcher Zak Goodwin said. “I mean, I didn’t have to do too much work when he’s just hitting all of his spots.”

Riggs threw 123 pitches across his nine innings of work, allowing Eastern to save its bullpen for the championship round on Saturday.

“That was huge,” Goodwin said. “He probably saved us four arms.”

The Panther offense manufactured its three runs, scoring one in the second, third and fifth innings respectively. Neither team got a single hit with runners on base, with both of Eastern’s RBIs coming on sacrifices.

“We can set the table, but we got to bang in some RBIs,” Anderson said. “I hope it all evens out to where tomorrow, we come out swinging.”

Eastern had more success with the sacrifice bunt than it did in both of Thursday’s games. The Panthers had two successful sacrifice bunts, including one in the fifth inning by Goodwin that scored the runner at third.

“We just kind of stuck our nose down and we needed to take some walks and get some bunts down,” Goodwin said. “Honestly, I’m not swinging it hot right now so when I got the call that I needed to get the bunt down I was like ‘let’s do it.’”

First pitch in Saturday’s championship game is set for noon. Eastern must win to force a winner-take all championship game against Little Rock.

Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.

By Catherine MacKenzie (23/05/2025)

Above: Bayern Munich win the inaugural World Sevens. Photo: FCBfrauen on X.

The inaugural World Sevens tournament taking place in Portugal this week has been about fun first-and-foremost. Teams have spent longer working out their ‘introduction acts’ than they have on tactics and had a rare opportunity to network with each other in a neutral, social environment.

There have been social media posts from clubs showing their players enjoying the sunshine whilst sightseeing; playing at the beach; watching other sports like beach volleyball and eating ice creams.

The tournament initially caused raised eyebrows across the women’s game for its scheduling – being mere weeks away from a major tournament for many of the players involved – but instead of a tough tournament leading to injuries and exhaustion, it became a medium for teams to have a team-building holiday akin to some kind of multi-organisation voluntary corporate retreat.

The atmosphere around the stadium aided this. A DJ was playing music permanently – even throughout games – and players sat around the pitch in directors’ chairs to watch each other’s games. The player of the match trophy was a branded water bottle, and the stands were very close to the pitch, meaning fans were a key part of the game.

The format prompted fun as well – ‘roll-on-roll-off’ substitutions caused frequent occasions where commentators would get player names mixed up (particularly Bayern Munich’s goalkeepers Mala Grohs and Ena Mahmutovic, who frequently switched at half-time).

Beyond that, the structure of the game itself created excitement – a small pitch meant teams were initially missing the pitch completely with their corners, and the short halves of only fifteen minutes meant there was little time to gain momentum.

The opening games were more cautious as teams figured out what the format felt like. Some teams (like Manchester City) raced out of the gates and seemed to adapt to the new surroundings with ease. Once teams clocked on to the lack of offside rule and smaller spaces to work with, the chains were off, and the games became more stretched – exemplified by a more settled Ajax taking Manchester City to penalties.

Overall, the teams who performed the best also seemed to have the most fun. The two teams who reached the final – Manchester United and Bayern Munich – both have an ethos of togetherness at their core, which made them naturally good competitors in the seven-a-side format.

They knew how to work together closely; communicated clearly and enjoyed it when their teammates took the risks that are paramount in these kinds of games, even if the risks did not pay off.

Ahead of a massive summer with a serious major tournament, most discussions are inevitably around team selections and tactics. Many players will be feeling immense pressure at this point – England feeling the pressure of trying to retain a major trophy, Spain wanting to add to their World Cup win in the face of off-pitch tribulations.

At the end of the tournament, Manchester United and champions Bayern Munich celebrated together on the pitch – there was a conga line and hugs between the sides – in a scene emblematic of the three days as a whole.

Instead of creating a greater burden on players by forcing additional games before a busy summer, the World Sevens has provided a welcome reprieve for both players and fans, reminding us all that at its heart, football is about fun.

Standout teams

The universal consensus seems to be that tournament winners Bayern Munich – nicknamed ‘Vibes FC’ on social media – have been the standout team of the tournament, and for good reason. They scored the most goals – three or more in every game except the final – and looked like they had the most fun doing so. It is a fitting end to Alexander Straus’ tenure as manager to win a tournament’s inaugural trophy. Their ‘introductions’ were also top-line, such as creating a bicycle illusion and a rock band.

Their fellow finalists Manchester United also provided entertainment – from cartwheels during introductions to captain and centre-back Maya Le Tissier scoring a standout goal. On the pitch, United had perhaps the most to lose from this tournament.

Manager Marc Skinner has been forthright with his comments that United are short of funds and winnings would help them build a team capable of competing in the Champions League next year. It is telling that despite this pressure, the team still managed to play with such joy and freedom.

Less prolific in terms of goal-scoring but with some impressive performances, Roma were also a standout team. Their game against Benfica was particularly fun to watch, especially the final five minutes (including three goals).

Standout players

Young Ajax and USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes scored a goal in every game and caused defences trouble with her technical ability. Yet to celebrate her 18^th birthday, the midfielder has already scored for the senior USWNT, and it is unlikely that Ajax will be able to hold on to her for much longer.

United youngster Simi Awujo was also on good goalscoring form throughout the tournament – including finding the top corner in the final against Bayern Munich. Lacking gametime in the WSL, she is likely an important asset for a United who are heading into the Champions League next year.

A little older but no less impressive, Bayern Munich’s 30-year old Serbian midfielder Jovana Damnjanovic ran riot and seemed to want to play every role on the pitch. One second, she was backing up her goalkeeper with an important clearance. Seconds she was setting up a goal at the other end. Her work rate was stellar and her relationships with her team-mates clear to see.

The next World Sevens is due to take place this autumn in the United States, comprising of eight NWSL teams.

Follow Impetus on social media –

Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball

Instagram: @impetusfootball