Registration for the city of Ocoee’s girls youth volleyball league is now open for the fall 2025 season and will remain open until Friday, Aug. 15. 

The league’s fall season — with three age divisions, 10U, 13U and 16U — will begin the week of Sept. 2 and run through Saturday, Nov. 8. The league will hold skill evaluations by age division Saturday, Aug. 23, beginning with the 10U division from 11 a.m. to noon, then 13U from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. and 16U from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Registration costs for the league are $70 for Ocoee residents and $80 for non-residents. For more information on the league and how to register, call Ocoee Parks & Leisure Services at (407) 905-3180. 

The league is also in need of volunteer coaches, if interested contact Alex Gonzalez via email at [email protected].

• Niels Laros edged out Yared Nuguse in a photo finish to win the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic.
• Nuguse led for nearly the entire race but faltered in the final meters.

The first 1,599.9 meters of Saturday’s Bowerman Mile belonged to Yared Nuguse.

EUGENE, Ore. — Kenyan Faith Kipyegon turned in a standing-ovation worthy performance in setting a world record in the 1,500 meters on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic, and Aptos native Nikki Hiltz, the fifth-place finisher, was among those applauding her rival’s showing.

Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion in the event, finished in 3 minutes, 48.68 seconds and bested her own record of 3:49.04, set last July before the Paris Games.

“The crowd’s clapping and right as we’re all clapping, too,” said Hiltz, during a post-race interview with on-site media, after finishing in 3:55.96. “I think it speaks to how good of a person she is and how she lifts all of us up. I’m like the biggest Faith supporter/fan.”

Kipyegon, 31, sprinted alone down the stretch cheered by the sellout crowd at Hayward Field. After crossing the finish line, she wrapped herself in the Kenyan flag.

Ethiopian Diribe Welteji took second in 3:51.44, and Australian Jessica Hull, who was the silver medalist behind Kipyegon at the Olympics last year, was third in 3:52.67.

“To be honest, the ladies are pushing me too because they are running quick now and I’m happy that when I broke a world record, they are all running very fast, and that is what I wanted, to motivate the younger generation to come and do even better. For them to follow me, it feels so great that they are pushing me as well to break records,” Kipyegon said.

Last month Kipyegon failed in a bid to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. She ran 4:06.42 — the fastest mile in history by a woman — at Stade Charléty in Paris.

Her time was better than her world record of 4:07.64 but won’t be recognized because the Nike-sponsored event was unofficial.

“I think the changes were that I was preparing myself for something special, which was to run under four minutes in a mile and I think I pushed myself, getting better and better toward the 1,500, so I knew it was possible to still run under 3:49,” she said.

Kipyegon also has won the 1,500 at the last three World Championships. She was second in the 5,000 at the Paris Olympics last summer.

Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell took fourth on Saturday in 3:54.76 and was followed by Hiltz and fellow American Sinclaire Johnson (3:56.93).

Hiltz, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, and uses they/them pronouns, was happy with their race.

“It was good,” Hiltz said. “I think I kinda fell asleep a little bit, because I looked up and their was a gap. And I was like, ‘Shoot.’ But I think I lag a lot of it, which is fine. I’m happy for myself for staying on a hot pace. When Georgia went around me I was actually grateful I had a body to race. Yeah, 3:55, I can’t complain. That’s my second fastest time, ever. So, yeah, I’m pleased with that.”

Hiltz plans to return to Flagstaff, Arizona, to continue training and return to action at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene on July 31-Aug. 3.

“I’m big on training,” Hiltz said. “I love racing, but in order to run these times, you have to put in the work. So I think, get a little bit stronger and sharper, and then come back in a month.”

Writer Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press contributed to this report.

TOP FINISHERS

Women’s 1,500 meters
1. Faith Kipyegon (KEN) — 3:48.68 (World Record)
2. Diribe Welteji (ETH) — 3:51.44
3. Jessica Hull (AUS) — 3:52.67
4. Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) — 3:54.76
5. Nikki Hiltz (USA) — 3:55.96
6. Sinclaire Johnson (USA) — 3:56.93
7. Sarah Healy (IRL) — 3:57.20
8. Saron Berhe (ETH) — 3:57.72

Some of Team New Zealand athletes for the FISU World University Games in Germany in July 2025
Photo: Supplied / Colin McDiarmid

A team of 84 student athletes are going to represent New Zealand at the World University Games in Germany later this month.

Organised by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), it is one of the world’s largest multi-sport events.

Around 8500 student athletes and officials representing 150 countries are expected for the games, competing in 18 different sports, including archery, athletics, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, fencing, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, taekwondo, rowing and water polo.

Head of the New Zealand delegation Evelyn Williamson said household names such as Anthony Mosse, Hamish Kerr, Eliza McCartney, Zoe Hobbs and Lauren Boyle had used the event as a stepping stone to bigger things.

“The games are a unique opportunity for athletes to perform at an elite level and gain experience in a high-performance environment. It’s where future Olympians are forged.”

Williamson said New Zealand had been involved in the biannual event since 1983 and had won 30 medals – nine gold, 12 silver and nine bronze.

“It’s not an easy competition to be part of and be successful at,” she said. “The competition is very strong – world champions are there, Olympic champions…

“Just because they’re university age, it doesn’t mean that they’re not highly competitive. It has been something that University and Tertiary Sport New Zealand over the years has been involved with. But this is the biggest team I think we’ve seen in recent memory.”

The games will be held at the Rhine-Ruhr cities of Bochum, Duisburg and Essen from 16-27 July.

Williamson said it was a unique opportunity in multi-sport games that did not come around very often.

“There are some challenges for us because it’s a multi-city format and we spread across 11 hotels in three cities. It’s gonna be pretty unique in that way. It is going to be an awesome opportunity for our athletes.”

Williamson also encouraged New Zealanders to follow the games and athletes on social media.

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