Sports

Good Luck draws crowd at ideas forum

Published

5 months ago

July 3, 2025

Much about the Good Luck Fund—a private foundation with lofty public goals—remains uncertain. How will it select businesses for the properties it buys? Can those enterprises succeed in a market in which labor is scarce and housing expensive? Will residents open their wallets to support the fund, which could quickly burn through founder Chris Hulls’s initial $15 million donation?

For all the questions surrounding the enterprise, one thing is crystal clear: Point Reyes Station residents want it to succeed.

Last Wednesday, about 250 of them packed into the former Station House Café building and cheered on Mr. Hulls as he sketched out his vision for the fund, whose mission is to preserve historic downtown properties, attract and retain key businesses and sustain the community’s 20th-century ranch-town vibe.

People spilled out of the building’s dimly lit interior and into the courtyard, where the garden was abloom. Mr. Hulls, a 41-year-old tech entrepreneur whose style is straightforward and self-deprecating, was startled by the size of the crowd.

“We were expecting maybe a couple dozen people,” he said. “I just started preparing for this about five minutes ago, so I’m kind of winging it. The idea was just to get people together and get feedback.”

A procession of people came forward to ask questions and share their ideas for transforming two of the fund’s recent purchases—11180 Highway 1, the former home of the Station House Café, which moved across the street—and the Inverness property that housed Vladimir’s Czech Restaurant, which closed two years ago.

Attendees’ ideas ran the gamut, from restaurants to a community theater to a plant nursery.

“I have some personal ideas about what to do with Vladimir’s, but not everybody agrees with them,” said Tom Pillsbury, an Inverness resident. “Some of my friends would like it to be a breakfast spot, but I think it would be a perfect Mexican restaurant. That’s my two cents.”

Rich Clarke of Point Reyes Station proposed a community swimming pool, a place that could unite West Marin’s burgeoning elderly population with younger community members.

“The kids could learn to swim and play water polo, and the adults could do water aerobics,” he said. “The health of our community, at this point in our lives, is dependent upon how active we stay and how much we put into taking care of ourselves.”

Mr. Clarke’s suggestion was greeted with boisterous applause.

Other people proposed installing a mix of businesses at the former Station House, which sits on a large lot. Lynette Le Mere, who owns a Santa Barbara catering business and recently moved full time to Inverness Park, said the space was big enough to accommodate a variety of food-oriented enterprises.

“For this place, and Vladimir’s, a lot of people with good ideas for food and cooking could come together and participate in community,” she said. “We have lots of delicious ideas.”

Amid all the brainstorming, people also raised questions and concerns.

Michel Venghiattis, a professional food consultant from Nicasio, stressed that small, start-up enterprises might need some sort of economic boost to succeed.

“I’ve been an entrepreneur all my life,” he said. “I went bankrupt once, so I know how tough business can be. I think what you’re doing is wonderful, but I think it’s important to remember that this is a small town, and the amount of income that can be generated from any business is very limited. Somehow, a structure needs to be built so that rents are reasonable so that folks with local businesses can make it.”

Mr. Hulls said the fund would take a businesslike approach to selecting prospective tenants, examining business plans to ascertain their strength and sustainability. While the fund would seek enterprises that could support themselves over the long haul, it might subsidize rents up front.

Cas Adler-Ivanbrook, an Inverness Park resident, inquired about the structure of the fund and the procedures it would follow moving forward.

“You’ve told us that you’re going to seek out proposals, get feedback and make decisions,” he said. “What is the decision-making process? Who gets a say in what the decision process is going to be? Do you have a structure in mind for that? Would it be just one person or a group of people?”

For now, Mr. Hulls said, the fund is operating as a private foundation in which one person can make quick decisions, but its procedures could evolve moving forward. In addition to soliciting community business proposals, it plans to appoint citizen committees to review ideas that come in, drawing on local expertise to assess them. The details will be ironed out as events unfold.

“My model is, you jump of a cliff, and you build the plane on the way down,” said Mr. Hulls, who grew up in Point Reyes Station and is the founder and C.E.O. of the location-sharing app Life360. “We really don’t have too much of a plan. We’re figuring it out as we go. It’s going to be a little chaotic and messy, but we’re just going for it.”

Other audience members pointed out that the lack of affordable housing has made it difficult for existing businesses to staff their operations, with many employees driving from Petaluma or Santa Rosa.

Buddy Faure, 23, who grew up in Inverness and would like to spend his life here, asked whether Mr. Hulls had considered building affordable housing.

“It’s important is to recognize how many people end up growing up here and then end up leaving and never coming back,” he said. “It upsets me, you know. I want to stay here my whole life, but it’s very hard to see a way forward.”

Mr. Hulls suggested that housing could possibly be built in conjunction with an enterprise at the former Station House site, which has ample septic capacity and a substantial parking lot out back. But he said that the local community land trust is better equipped to take on housing challenges while the foundation focuses on attracting suitable businesses.

Mr. Hulls said the fund has no fixed notions about what those businesses should be, but he did offer ideas about general characteristics they might have. He pointed to the Old Western Saloon, another fund acquisition and a classic dive bar that caters to ranchers, construction workers and landscapers as wells as the tourists who pass through town.

“To be honest, a little rough and tumble and weird is something I want to preserve,” he said to applause. “It seems like there’s been a lot of support for that. The eccentrics and weirdos make this town.”

Some of the ideas put forward at the meeting would duplicate or compete with existing businesses in town, including new restaurants, a gallery, a nursery and a performance space. Giving the newcomers subsidies could put longtime establishments at a disadvantage, Ken Taymor, an Inverness Park resident, pointed out. “How are you going to make sure you don’t cannibalize existing businesses?” he asked.

Mr. Hulls said he had conferred with local business owners, some of whom were nervous about the prospect of new competition, but he found that most of them welcomed the fund’s efforts. “The general theme I’ve heard is that vibrancy builds vibrancy, and having half a downtown dead is bad for everybody,” he said.

For more information or to submit ideas, go to https://goodluckfund.org

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Sports

Barrera sets school mark, Champagnie wins triple jump in first indoor meet

Published

6 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BISMARCK, N.D. – The Valley City State Track and Field teams were in Bismarck to begin the Indoor season at the Mike Thorson Open. Freshman Frida Barrera set the school record in the mile and junior Cameron Champagnie won the triple jump.

All totaled, Valley City State had 30 top eight finishes. The Men placed fourth as a team with 91 points. The Women placed third with 59 points.

For the men, in the field events, Champagnie won the triple jump with a jump of 13.58 meters. Zeke Barnick was second in the high jump with a jump of 1.90 Meters. In the long jump, the Vikings took four of the top eight spots. Aaron Cutshall (4^th), Porter Granger (5^th), Jeffry Rosinski (6^th), and Makana Taylor (8^th) all picked up points for VCSU. Zac Kuznia was fifth in the shot put and Arie Bratrud was sixth in the weight throw.

In the track events, Jordan Mount was second in the 400m, and Zach Baumgartner was second in the mile run. Titus Dolo was fourth in the 60m and seventh in the 200m. Tate Minnihan and Mason Brehmer finished third and fourth respectively in the mile. Gage Gunther was third in the 800m while Parker Jacobson was fifth in the 60m. In relay’s, the team of Brock Norton, Jeffry Rosinski, Zeke Barnick, and Jordan Mount took third in the 4×400.

On the women’s side, the Vikings were led by Barrera whose 5:21.61 time in the mile set the record that was set last season by Jasmine Barnes. Barrera beat the record by 4.67 seconds. She also took second in the 800m with a time of 2:26.69 which is the second fastest 800 in school history. Billie Maye Pohlkamp was third in the 800m. In the 200m, Ava Krier was sixth and Jonica Taylor was seventh.

In field events, Grace Backstrom and Emma Muggli were second and third respectively, Caitlyn Armbrust was fourth in the triple jump. Carlee Fuchs was third in the weight throw with Megan Lahtonen taking seventh. Kiana Hilary was sixth in the shot put with Rebecca Bohrer right behind in seventh.

Live results can be found here.

NEXT UP: The Vikings will be at the Bison Alumni Classic in Fargo on Thursday, December 11^th.

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Falcons Win Two Races at Season Opening Suffolk Relays

Published

22 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON, Mass. – Samantha Doran and Hannah Croteau won races for Bentley women’s track and field at the team’s first indoor meet of the season at the Suffolk Relays.

Doran, who competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships two weeks ago, won the 5000 meter race by more than 26 seconds with a time of 18:41.30.

Croteau won the 60 meter hurdles in 9.58

The one mile saw Bentley runners finish second and third. Lily Tedford, who also competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, was second (5:09.34) and Amelia Luetjen was third (5:36.20).

Molly Capece was third in the 3000 meter (10:45.56).

In the field events, Mia Bonner was third in the triple jump.

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Sports

Devils Win SU Holiday Open for Third Straight Year

Published

38 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINCHESTER, Va. – For the third straight season the Dickinson women’s indoor track and field team opened up their season by winning the Shenandoah University Holiday Kickoff Open inside the James Wilkins Jr. Athletics and Events Center.

Sprints

Erin Olsavsky finished off the Top-5 for the 60m dash with a time of 8.07. Angie Braun also earned a Top-10 slot clocking in at 8.18 for ninth. When hurdles were put in front of the athletes Sylvie McMaken-Marsh nabbed sixth by hitting the line in 10.63. Allison Edmands and Melina Gregory claimed ninth (11.16) and tenth (11.18) respectively.

Three Devils got inside the Top-10 during the 200m as Olsavsky won the event in 26.04, followed by Emily Chaine in eighth (28.55) and Gregory in tenth (29.08). McMaken-Marsh just missed the Top-10 claiming eleventh at 30.14.

Chaine just missed the podium for the 400m as her time of 1:06.37 was good for fourth.

Distance

The 800m was only made up of Dickinson runners with Sophia Kovalski winning the race in 2:27.33, while Lauren Scott (2:43.08), Margaret Randolph (2:59.95) and Leah Bell (3:01.77) took up spots two through four.

Meghan Higgins-Haas rounded out the Top-3 for the 5000m by hitting the stripe in 18:48.14. The group of Breanna Franchak (5th – 19:52.05), Ellie Drescher (7th – 21:48.86), Jenna Kerns (8th – 21:49.49), Emma VanMeter (9th – 21:49.63) and Emma Lewis (10th – 22:23.36) had a great showing all finishing inside the Top-10.

Bell was the lone Devil to compete during the mile run earning an eighth-place result with a time of 6:42.03.

Relays

Dickinson put two teams forward for the 4x400m with the team of Gregory, Olsavsky, Randolph and Scott claiming the victory with a time of 4:41.66, while the group with Chaine, Drescher, Franchak and Kovalski falling just off the pace of their teammates grabbing second at 4:45.82.

Field

McMaken-Marsh collecting second-place during the pole vault by clearing 2.45m.

Another Dickinson victory came in the high jump when Amanda Hoglund eclipsed 1.48m, followed by Edmands in sixth (1.30m). Braun earned seventh for the long jump with a mark of 4.59m, while in the triple jump Braun and Hoglund took up seventh (9.52m) and eighth (9.51m) respectively.

Two Devils took part in the weight throw with Sarah Glickson just missing the podium landing in fourth with a mark of 13.45m. Anna Purvis gave a good showing in her first meet taking 15th at 9.29m. Glickson collected sixth for the shot put by dropping down at 9.65m, followed by Purvis (12th – 7.36m), Hoglund (13th – 7.13m) and Edmands (15th – 5.84m).

Up Next

Dickinson will next compete after the New Year holiday when they take part in the Moravian University Indoor Meet in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 17th beginning at 10am.

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Sports

Lehman Wins Two Events in Season Opener

Published

55 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women’s track & field team kicked off its season on Saturday (Dec. 6) by hosting the annual Early Bird Invitational/Multi at Kolf Sports Center. In the non-scoring meet, the Titans won six events.

The pentathlon kicked off the season for the Titans on Friday night and was highlighted by a second-place finish by Halle Meyer (Kiel/Kiel), who scored 3,096 points.

The Titans started off strong in Saturday’s full day of events as Ella Kojis (Dousman/Waukesha South) won the 3,000-meter run in 10:52.79.

The Titans grabbed two more medals in the 400-meter dash, with Addie Baker (Delavan/Elkhorn Area) finishing second in 59.23 seconds and Maddy LaVoi (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial) finishing third at 59.30.

Amelia Lehman (Oshkosh/Valley Christian) kicked off her season in the mile run. The two-time All-American won the event with a personal record of 4:46.50. Freshman Lehna Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North) took third in the event in 5:09.08.

Lehman came back to win her second event of the day in the 800-meter run in 2:20.06. Adriana Garcia (Green Bay/Green Bay East) and Anabel Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North) rounded out the events’ top three with Garcia finishing in 2:23.45 and Mitchell finishing in 2:27.24. The Titans swept each of the top-five positions in the event.

Addie Baker (Delavan/Elkhorn Area) won the 200-meter dash, finishing in a time of 25.80 seconds. Mia Riley (Janesville/Janesville Parker) grabbed third in the event with a time of 26.52 seconds in her first collegiate meet.

In the 5,000-meter run, Jamie Catania (Fond du Lac/Horace Mann) picked up second-place with a time of 18:17.55.

The team of Anabel Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North), Lehna Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North), Garcia, and Megan Hoffman (Clayton/Clayton) placed third in the 4×400 meter relay with a 4:14.27 finish.

The Titans picked up two medals in the weight throw. Kaelyn Bilello (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) took second with a throw of 15.64 meters and Abi Masloroff (Franklin/Franklin) finished third with a 15.25-meter mark.

Brooklyn Manz (Kiel/Kiel) won the shot put with a throw of 12.98 meters.

Haley Kanitz (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) tied for first in the pole vault with a vault of 3.36 meters.

The Titans return to the track in 2026 as they host the Alumni & Friends Invitational on Saturday, January 17 at Kolf Sports Center.

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Sports

Thomas Crushes 5k School Record In Season Opener

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON, Mass. – A steady stream of PRs and new top-10 marks meant that Husky track was back. Washington had a group of a dozen distance runners, some of them just two weeks removed from the NCAA Cross Country Championships, racing on the famously fast oval at the BU Track & Tennis Center to kick off the 2025-26 indoor season.

The big UW highlight out of many at today’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener was new Dawg Chloe Thomas shattering the School Record in the 5,000-meters. Thomas, an All-American transfer from UConn, just last week took runner-up honors at the Canadian Cross Country National Championships, and she carried that momentum onto the track today with a PR time of 15:16.93.

That broke the Husky indoor 5k record by a massive 22 seconds. Haley Herberg set the prior record of 15:38.37 in 2024. Thomas’ time was also faster than the UW outdoor record of 15:22.81 set just last season by Amina Maatoug.

In a later 5k heat, Julia David-Smith dropped a 10-second indoor PR to jump up to No. 4 in school history behind just Thomas, Herberg, and Izzi Batt-Doyle. David-Smith ran 15:45.01 today in her first track race since July.

Another new Husky went out and broke a national record on day one. Freshman Chloe Symon, a Vancouver, B.C. native, knocked off a Canadian U20 indoor record that had stood since 1988. Symon ran 2:04.56 to take fourth in the 800-meters and set the new record. It also puts her up to No. 7 in Husky indoor history just one race into her career.

There was a third Chloe thriving today for the women’s team, as All-American Chloe Foerster ran the fastest 3,000-meters time of her career, going 8:56.22. That puts Foerster up to No. 3 in school history indoors.

First-year Dawg Jenica Swartz dropped an impressive mile season opener, taking fourth in the elite section in 4:35.67, just a second off the top-10 list. Mia Cochran, coming off leading the squad at NCAA XC two weeks back, opened her track season in the 3k with a time of 9:16.54.

For the men’s team, all six Huskies on the trip were focusing on the 3,000-meters. The top time came from transfer Reuben Reina, who went straight to No. 4 in school history with a run of 7:43.16.

Two more Husky men opened up with sub-8-minute runs. Tyler Bilyard, making his Husky debut, ran 7:55.80 for a PR, and redshirt freshman Nathan Neil came across in 7:57.01. True freshman Josiah Tostenson opened up with a 8:03.31 and Thom Diamond clocked a time of 8:16.62. Freshman Owen Powell also raced today but served as a pace-setter in the 3k.

Next week will see many of the Husky jumpers, vaulters and sprinters get an early season test at the Spokane Invitational, on Saturday, Dec. 13. Then it’s a month-long break from competition for the end of the quarter and the holidays before the Dempsey

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Cal Poly Volleyball topples No. 4 seed USC, advance to third round of NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

For the first time since 2007, Cal Poly Volleyball is advancing to the third round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament, after upsetting No. 4 seed USC in a five-set match on Friday.

With the 3-2 win, they claimed a spot in the top 16, also known as the “Sweet Sixteen,” and destroyed any remaining perfect tournament brackets in ESPN’s bracket prediction challenge.

“That was an incredible performance by a group of people that love one another, that love this game and that have committed to something bigger than themselves,” head coach Caroline Walters said.

The Mustangs have not faced the Trojans since 2012, where they lost in a 3-0 sweep. Ranking at No. 13 in the country and beating three ranked teams throughout the season, USC was favored in Friday’s match. Just like in Thursday’s upset win over BYU, Cal Poly defied the odds once again, ending the Trojan’s season.

READ MORE: Cal Poly Volleyball upsets BYU to advance to second round of NCAA Tournament

The Mustangs started the match hot, winning the first two sets 25-19 and 25-20. With a shot at a sweep, the momentum was not enough as they fell to the Women of Troy in set three with a score 25-20, and again took a 25-14 loss in the fourth set, recording their worst offensive performance of the night with a hitting percentage of .079%.

“I just kept saying to everyone, and I knew everyone else was saying it or thinking it in their heads, but we’re here for a reason,” redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis said. “We’re going to the fifth set for a reason.”

Despite the back to back losses, the Mustangs came up big in set five, mirroring sets one and two and dominating USC 15-7 to send themselves to the next round of the tournament.

“I am in awe of my team,” Walters said.

Fredrick and Beshear lead the charge

Two standout players for the Mustangs throughout the entirety of the season have been junior outside hitter Emma Fredrick and sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear. Through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament their dominance has only increased.

In Friday’s match both achieved double-doubles with Fredrick leading both the offense and defense with 17 kills and 17 digs, while Beshear notched 12 kills and 14 digs.

During the season, Beshear led the Big West Conference with 52 service aces followed by Fredrick in the No. 3 spot with 37. The pair combined for three out of Cal Poly’s eight total service aces against USC.

“Being able to go back there and knowing that I have the support of everyone around me to just go be free and be smiley and take a rip out of the ball … that’s what gives me the confidence to do what I can do,” Beshear said.

Dominant on defense

With a player earning a new career high in blocks and four players entering the double digits in digs, Cal Poly’s defense worked like a charm in helping them secure the upset win.

Freshman middle blocker Charlotte Kelly was a force to be reckoned with at the net as she notched seven blocks, a career high and accounted for over half of Cal Poly’s blocks. Kelly is getting her first ever tournament action this season after she was moved up to the starting rotation when redshirt middle blocker Breklyn Pulling faced a season-ending injury over the summer.

“I think Charlotte Kelly is the unsung hero of this group,” Walters said. “Her coming in as a true freshman and doing what she does is insane,”

Cal Poly will now move on to the sweet sixteen to face No. 1 seeded Kentucky at their home stadium. Credit: Lloyd Esola / Mustang News

Following closely behind Fredrick in defensive statistics, sophomore libero Elif Hurriyet claimed the second defensive spot in tonight’s match as she brought in 16 digs.

Racking in 71 digs and 10 blocks, the Mustangs were able to hold the Trojans at an overall hitting percentage of .237%, just under their season.

The Mustangs are up for a challenge as they will head to Kentucky to face No.1 seed University of Kentucky in the regional semifinals on Dec. 11 at 12:30 p.m.

The Wildcats are on a 24 game winning streak and have an overall record of 27-2, only losing to No. 1 ranked University of Nebraska and No. 7 ranked University of Pittsburgh.

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