GRAPEVINE, Texas – Baylor’s first-ever finalist for college track & field’s most prestigious honor, reigning NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles champion Nathaniel Ezekiel will join the two other male finalists and three female semifinalists for The Bowerman Presentation on Thursday at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.
 
Hosted by ESPN broadcaster and former University of Indiana runner Larra Overton, The Bowerman Presentation will be streamed live by RunnerSpace beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the red-carpet entrance to the Grapevine Ballroom. The Bowerman is given annually to the top collegiate track and field men’s and women’s athlete of the year.
 
A nine-time All-American and six-time Big 12 champion, Ezekiel capped off his collegiate career by winning the NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles title with a school-record time of 47.49. He also broke the school indoor mark in the 400 meters (44.74), winning the silver medal at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.
 
Ezekiel, who represented his native Nigeria at the 2024 Olympics in the 400 hurdles, turned pro this summer and finished fourth at the World Track and Field Championships with a Nigerian-record time of 47.11.
 
The other male finalists are Ja’Kobe Tharp from Auburn, who won NCAA championships in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles; and Arkansas sprinter Jordan Anthony, who swept NCAA titles in the indoor 60 meters and outdoor 100 meters.
 
On the women’s side, the finalists are distance runner Pamela Kosgei from New Mexico, 3,000-meter steeplechaser Doris Lemngole from Alabama and 400-meter hurdler Savannah Sutherland from Michigan. Five of the six schools have finalists for the first time in their programs’ history.
 
Last year’s winners were University of Texas decathlete Leo Neugebauer and record-setting distance runner Parker Valby from Florida.

The RunnerSpace live stream is available at:  https://the-bowerman-presentation.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=14920&do=videos&video_id=436664

 

For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.

                                                                                                       – BaylorBears.com-  

 

 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2025 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Postseason Poll is topped by Indiana Wesleyan after the Wildcats won their third Red Banner in three years. 

Both Indiana Wesleyan and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) made moves up seven spots in the postseason poll. Nine other teams made a move up, including Cornerstone (Mich.) and Huntington (Ind.), who joined the Top 25 from receiving votes. Three teams remained at the same rank as the final season edition of the Top 25: Concordia (Neb.), Corban (Ore.) and Mobile (Ala.).  

 

Receiving Votes: Northwest (Wash.) 44, Park (Mo.) 43, Taylor (Ind.) 35, Southern Oregon 29, Walla Walla (Wash.) 28, Marian (Ind.) 20, Montana-Northern 19, Nelson (Texas) 14, Columbia International (S.C.) 14, Grand View (Iowa) 12, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3, OUAZ(Ariz.) 3, Bethel (Kan.) 2

 

Poll Methodology

• The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
• A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
• The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
  • 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
• The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
• Teams receiving only one point are not listed as “receiving votes.”
• For the Preseason Poll, there is no “previous ranking” column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system. 

Key: RV – Receiving Votes, NR – Not Ranked, ▲– Climbed, ▼– Dropped, ● – Steady

CASPER, Wyo. –– Kelly Walsh High School athlete Madyn Waring will compete in track and field at Oregon State University.

The KW senior held a signing ceremony on Tuesday with family and classmates to announce the signing, which will take her to Corvallis, Oregon, a region known for its quality college track and field athletics.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “They compete a lot of their outdoor meets at Hayward Field in Eugene, which is like a track capital of the world. So many people don’t get to compete there in their lifetimes, so to be able to compete there is really exciting.”

As an added bonus, OSU has joined the PAC 12 starting next year. “Maybe having a chance at that PAC 12 title is really cool,” she added.

Waring said that OSU is particularly unique because they feature only women’s track, with no men’s team at all. “I like to have the attention on me, as you most likely know,” she joked while addressing the assembled crowd. “That was kind of a bonus.”

Waring said she had considered a number of other schools over the previous year, including an Ivy League school and even the Navel Academy. She made a visit to Boise State at one point, but was quickly won over by OSU. “I decided that it was the better fit and aligned more with what I was wanting in a college experience.”

Waring’s high school athletic skills were strong on the basketball and volleyball courts, but she fell in love with track & field, and decided it offered more options in her college career. “It was always [more] about the school than the sport,” she said.

“What I like about track is it’s all on me,” she continued. “So while coaching can help me a lot and I have teammates, it really comes down to how I perform and the effort I put in myself.”

She’s looking at competing in the heptathlon, which includes seven events over two days. “I don’t think I would ever get bored, there’s always something to grow in,” she said, adding that she has never tried the javelin since Wyoming doesn’t offer that activity. “I think my volleyball arm might lend itself well to that,” she said.

Outside of sports, Waring is excited to pursue a degree in environmental engineering, and OSU has been listed as an R1 research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“It checks all the boxes in that way,” said Waring.

Related

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec 16, 2025) – From the NTDP courts to the NCAA semifinals, the impact of USA Volleyball’s development pipeline is on full display once again. Athletes and coaches from all four teams will bring rich experience from NTDP programs and U.S. national teams, showing how the pathway continues to prepare players and staff for the sport’s biggest stages.

The NCAA semifinals are set for Thursday, Dec. 18. No. 1 Pitt and No. 3 Texas A&M square off in the first semifinal at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Wisconsin, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. Both matches are live on ESPN.

The final is December 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Pitt

Pitt’s roster is led by 2025 U.S. Women’s National Team athlete Olivia Babcock, who competed with the team during Volleyball Nations League. She also helped the senior national team earn silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six.

Fifty-eight percent of Pitt’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

• Blaire Bayless: 2024-25 U21 National Team (2024 U21 Continental Championships, gold; 2025 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2023 U19 National Team (2023 Pan Am Cup, gold and MVP)
• Abbey Emch: 2025 U19 National Team (2025 U19 World Championship, silver)
• Bre Kelley: 2022-23 U21 National Team (2022 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold; 2023 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2018  U18 National Team (2018 U18 Continental Championship, gold)

Babcock, Bayless, Emch, Sophia Gregoire, Ryla Jones and Haiti Tautua’a are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Head coach Dan Fisher brings extensive USA Volleyball history to Pitt’s sideline, including coaching stints with the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams. He’s also led age-group national teams to multiple Pan American Cup golds. Fisher and assistant coaches Kamalani Akeo and Kellen Petrone hVW also both coached with NTDP.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M’s emergence this season reflects its deep ties to NTDP.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla was MVP and Best Blocker of the gold-medal winning 2025 U23 Pan Am Cup team, and Logan Lednicky was part of the 2025 Women’s National Team, competing in weeks one and two of Volleyball Nations League. Kirra Musgrove was on the 2024 Girls U19 National Team.

Sixty-nine percent of TAMU’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Musgrove, Addi Applegate, Megan Fitch, Lexi Guinn, Margot Manning, Taryn Morris, Morgan Perkins, Ava Underwood and Maddie Waak are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Head coach Jamie Morrison brings world-class credentials from his years with both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, as well as leading multiple age-group national teams to gold medals.

TAMU Director of Analytics Joe Skinner is a former coach with the U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team (helping lead them to the 2016 Paralympic Games) and has also coached with NTDP, as has assistant coach Jeff Fiorenza.

Kentucky

Kentucky continues its proud NTDP tradition, led by Brooklyn DeLeye, MVP of the 2024 and 2025 U21 NORCECA events, and Eva Hudson, who played for the 2025 U.S. Women’s U23 National Team and the 2024 senior national team. DeLeye was also part of the 2023 U19 National Team.

Seventy-one percent of Kentucky’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

• Eva Hudson: 2025 U23 National Team (U23 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2024 Women’s National Team (Pan Am Cup Final Six, silver); 2024 Women’s National Team Spring Training; 2023 U21 National Team (U21 Pan Am Cup, gold)
• Brooke Bultema: 2025 U23 National Team
• Molly Tuozzo: 2025 U21 National Team

Hannah Benjamin, Bultema, Jordyn Dailey, Kassie O’Brien, Asia Thigpen, Kennedy Washington and Georgia Watson are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Associate head coach Meredith Jewell and assistant coach Kyle Luongo have both worked within NTDP.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin showcases a strong NTDP background, with Carter Booth also having senior U.S. National Team experience.

Sixty-nine percent of Wisconsin’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

• Carter Booth: 2024 Women’s National Team (Pan Am Cup Final Six, silver); 2020-21 U20 National Team; 2019 U18 National Team (U18 World Championship, gold)
• Mimi Colyer: 2023 U21 National Team
• Charlie Fuerbringer: 2025 U21 National Team; 2023 U19 National Team (U19 World Championship, gold); 2022 U19 National Team
• Natalie Wardlow: 2025 U19 National Team; 2024 U19 National Team
• Aniya Warren: 2025 U19 National Team; 2024 U19 National Team (U19 Continental Championship, gold)

Colyer, Grace Egan, Fuerbringer, Addy Horner, Madison Quest, Kristen Simon, Wardlow and Warren all have NTDP Training Series experience.

Assistant coach Lauren Carlini, a 2024 Olympian and longtime Women’s National Team setter, brings elite experience to the Badgers’ bench, and assistant coach Brittany Dildine has worked with NTDP.

From collegiate courts to the international arena, NTDP athletes continue to elevate the level of play. As the NCAA semifinals unfold, these connections underscore USA Volleyball’s commitment to developing world-class talent, with coaches and players alike from youth programs to the highest stages of competition.

Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly all earned first-team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Wednesday. Rebekah Allick was recognized on the second team.

It was the second straight year that Jackson was voted on to the first team. She set a Big Ten record for hitting percentage in conference games at .559 this season.

Murray and Reilly each earned a spot on the AVCA All-American team for the third season in a row, but made the first team for the first time this year. It was the first All-American honor for Allick in her fourth year of college.

For the Creighton Bluejays, Ava Martin and Kiara Reinhardt were voted onto the second team, while Annalea Maeder joined the third team.

All three Bluejays on the AVCA team are seniors, and this year’s team is the 14th in a row that included a Creighton player.

A committee of 11 Division I volleyball coaches selects the 42 players that make up the first, second and third teams for the prestigious honor.

Nebraska tied with Kentucky and Texas A&M for the most players on the first, second or third teams, with four players each. Creighton was next in line with three players.

The Huskers and Bluejays are among seven schools to place more than one All-American on the AVCA team for five years straight, joining Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Both in-state programs dropped a match in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament last weekend.

NU fell, 3-2, against Texas A&M. The Cornhuskers ended the campaign 33-1 under first-year coach Dani Busboom Kelly. Only one team in school history has finished the season undefeated. That was the 2000 squad, former head coach John Cook’s first in Lincoln.

Creighton lost to Kentucky in a 3-0 sweep. The Bluejays were also under a first-year head coach, Brian Rosen, who led the program to its second consecutive and third-ever Elite Eight appearance. It finished the season with a 28-6 record and a 16-0 conference record.