Harding Men’s Track Places Five on CSC Academic All-District Team
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SEARCY — Five members of the Harding men’s track and field team have been named to the Academic All-District Team by the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC), recognizing their excellence in both academics and athletics. Spencer Helms, a fifth-year senior and All-American in the discus, will now advance to the Academic […]
SEARCY — Five members of the Harding men’s track and field team have been named to the Academic All-District Team by the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC), recognizing their excellence in both academics and athletics. Spencer Helms, a fifth-year senior and All-American in the discus, will now advance to the Academic All-America ballot.
To qualify for the Academic All-District team, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically, maintain a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average, and be ranked in the top 50 regionally in at least one event.
Harding’s honorees include:
Nathaniel Perry (Jr., D, Purcellville, Va.) Perry, a management major with a 3.86 GPA, demonstrated strong performance in distance events. He was ranked 36th in the NCAA Division II Central Region in the outdoor 10,000 meters with a time of 32:02.36. At the 2025 Great American Conference (GAC) Championships, Perry finished ninth in both the 5,000 meters (15:11.11) and the 10,000 meters (32:02.36).
Elijah Barnes (So., PV, Argyle, Texas) Barnes, a Bible and Ministry major, boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA. He was ranked 26th regionally in the outdoor pole vault (4.61m, 15-1.5). Barnes earned honorable mention All-GAC, placing eighth in the pole vault (4.30m, 14-1.25) at the 2025 GAC Championships.
Isaac Hodges (So., PV, Omaha, Texas) Hodges, a management major with a 3.74 GPA, excelled in the pole vault. He was ranked 25th regionally in the indoor pole vault (4.63m, 15-2.25). Hodges also earned honorable mention All-GAC with a seventh-place finish in the pole vault (4.45m, 14-7.25) at the 2025 GAC Championships.
Chad Strickland (So., PV, West Monroe, La.) Strickland, a kinesiology and health education major with a 3.59 GPA, was a regional contender in the pole vault. He was ranked 33rd regionally in the outdoor pole vault (4.46m, 14-7.5). Strickland earned honorable mention All-GAC with an eighth-place finish in the pole vault (4.30m, 14-1.25) at the 2025 GAC Championships.
Spencer Helms (5th, T, Lawrenceville, Ga.) Helms, an exercise science major with a 3.65 GPA, was a dominant force in throwing events. He was ranked third regionally and ninth nationally in the outdoor discus (55.69m, 182-8). Helms won the 2025 shot put title at the GAC Championships and earned First Team All-America honors in the discus with a throw of 57.16 meters (187-6) at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Due to his All-America status, Helms will now be considered for Academic All-America.
The CSC Academic All-America program recognizes student-athletes who achieve outstanding results both academically and athletically, providing national recognition for their holistic success.
Sara Hughes made a surprising decision to pick Ally Batenhorst as her new beach volleyball partner. The soon-to-be 23-year-old is bailing on a promising indoor career in an attempt to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Although this kind of switch is not uncommon, it is still an earth-shattering move in the world of volleyball.
One of the best indoor players in the world will kick off her shoes to join the former world champion on the sand. Nobody saw it coming!
Sara Hughes is already established as one of the top players in beach volleyball.
Sara Hughes is no stranger to the beach. The former top-ranked recruit in both disciplines of the sport chose to play beach volleyball for USC in college and at one point won 103 matches in a row. The Trojans won multiple national titles while she was on the team.
At 5-foot-10, Hughes is considered one of the best defenders in the world. The 30-year-old seems to get a touch on every single ball. It’s insane!
Hughes played with multiple different partners as a professional over the last eight years. She and Kelly Cheng ultimately chose to go their separate ways after a shocking upset loss to Switzerland at the Olympics last summer and an injury.
With the sour taste of Paris now in her rearview mirror, these next four years will focus on Los Angeles.
Enter Ally Batenhorst.
Batenhorst began her college volleyball career at Nebraska and later transferred to USC. She only played indoor for the Trojans but she played both indoor and outdoor for the Huskers, with a 39-28 career record on the sand.
However, Ally Batenhorst has not played on the beach since early 2024. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter signed a professional contract with the Omaha Supernovas of the Pro Volleyball Federation after college.
She recorded 128 kills on 348 swings (36.8%) as a rookie.
Batenhorst’s first year with Omaha was also her last.
She is making the move from indoor to outdoor.
Although Ally Batenhorst loved her time with the Supernovas, she moved back to California during the offseason and fell back in love with the beach. Hughes eventually asked her to be her partner for at least the next three years, which was an easy yes.
They officially announced their partnership earlier this week. It is very big news!
This is a little bit of a risk for Hughes. Batenhorst is not new to the sand but she is still learning the game on a professional level after a 18-month(ish) focus on indoor volleyball.
By partnering now, Hughes and Batenhorst will have enough time to get acclimated before the Los Angeles Olympics cycle gets going. Their partnership, while surprising, could be a really dominant force on the international level if everything comes together as smoothly as they hope!
Johansson Wins Shot Put at World University Games – University of Nebraska
Nebraska track and field senior Axelina Johansson won the shot put gold medal at the FISU Summer World University Games in Bochum, Germany on Tuesday. Johansson, representing Sweden, threw 60-6 1/2 (18.45m) to earn the top spot on the podium. Johansson is a two-time NCAA champion in the shot put and six-time All-American, as well […]
Nebraska track and field senior Axelina Johansson won the shot put gold medal at the FISU Summer World University Games in Bochum, Germany on Tuesday.
Johansson, representing Sweden, threw 60-6 1/2 (18.45m) to earn the top spot on the podium. Johansson is a two-time NCAA champion in the shot put and six-time All-American, as well as the Nebraska school record holder in the event. She placed 10th at the Olympics last summer.
Husker junior Miné De Klerk, representing South Africa, finished in fourth place with a mark of 56-10 1/4 (17.33m). De Klerk is a two-time All-American in the shot put and also competed at the Olympics last year.
Sharks Volleyball recognized with AVCA Team Academic Award
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced the 2025 Team Academic Award. To receive the honor, volleyball programs must maintain a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. The Nova Southeastern Sharks, under the direction of Head Coach Kacie Ehinger, […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced the 2025 Team Academic Award. To receive the honor, volleyball programs must maintain a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. The Nova Southeastern Sharks, under the direction of Head Coach Kacie Ehinger, received the honor for the third consecutive year in her tenure.
Additionally, NSU Volleyball was recognized among the elite academic programs in NCAA Division II and was one of few programs to earn the distinction of being in the top 20% of Division II institutions.
The Sharks Volleyball program continued to elevate its lofty academic standards, setting program records in both the fall and winter semesters. During the fall semester, NSU achieved the highest fall semester GPA (3.74) in program history, while placing 15 student-athletes on the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. During the winter semester, NSU Volleyball earned the program’s highest semester GPA (3.85) on record.
Nova Southeastern Volleyball will return to action in September 2025. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Volleyball, be sure to follow on Instagram at NSU_VBall and X at NSU_VB.
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LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women’s volleyball has released the full 2025 schedule, as announced by head coach Melanie Greene. The 2025 season is set to begin at home in LionTree Arena on Aug. 29 when the Tritons play host to Eastern Washington in the first match […]
LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women’s volleyball has released the full 2025 schedule, as announced by head coach Melanie Greene.
The 2025 season is set to begin at home in LionTree Arena on Aug. 29 when the Tritons play host to Eastern Washington in the first match of the UC San Diego Invitational. UC San Diego will play 12 non-conference matches spread across four different tournaments before Big West play begins Sept. 26.
“We’re thrilled to get the 2025 fall season underway,” said Greene. “Our staff has onboarded many new faces to the Triton volleyball program that will bring international & power conference experience, as we face several top 50-100 opponents this preseason. We will be tested early on in our season to recognize our ability to adapt and unify our group as we prepare for a tough conference. We look forward to the experience.”
UC San Diego will continue the opening-weekend tournament, taking on New Mexico State (Aug. 30) and Northwestern (Aug. 31), as well as host three neutral matches between the participating teams during the weekend.
The next three weeks will see the Tritons on the road for three invitational tournaments. First, UC San Diego will travel to Idaho for the Boise State Classic, taking on the host Boise State (Sept. 4), Oregon State (Sept. 5) and Arizona (Sept. 6).
Next up, the Tritons will head to Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Lumberjack Classic hosted by Northern Arizona (Sept. 11-13). UC San Diego will face the host on Thursday and take on Southern Utah and Texas Tech in a pair of neutral matches on Friday and Saturday respectively.
In the final week of the non-conference schedule, UC San Diego will play a trio of matches locally around San Diego. The Tritons will take on crosstown foe San Diego State on Sept. 18 in Peterson Gym. UC San Diego will face off with Yale in a neutral match at SDSU on Sept. 19 and wrap up the weekend at the University of San Diego on Sept. 20.
The Tritons will open their conference schedule on the road at Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 26) and UC Irvine (Sept. 27). Additional road matches include UC Davis (Oct. 9), UC Riverside (Oct. 11), Long Beach State (Oct. 16), Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 23), UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 7), Cal Poly (Nov. 8) and the regular season finale at Hawai’i (Nov. 21).
UC San Diego will begin the Big West home schedule by hosting Cal Poly on Oct. 3 and host UC Santa Barbara the following evening. Remaining home matches include Hawai’i (Oct. 18), CSUN (Oct. 25), UC Irvine (Oct. 31), Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 1), UC Riverside (Nov. 14), UC Davis (Nov. 15) and Long Beach State (Nov. 18).
The Big West Championship is set for Nov. 26-29, hosted by Long Beach State at Walter Pyramid.
Season tickets will go on sale July 29 and single game tickets will be available at a later date through the Triton Box Office.
Spain turn Greek fairy tale into tragedy in World Aquatics C’ships men’s water polo s-final
SINGAPORE – They rallied from 2-6 down to lead 7-6, and a berth in the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) men’s water polo final was within sight. But the Greek fairy tale turned into tragedy when they conceded an equaliser in the final second of their semi-final before world No. 2 Spain went on to win […]
SINGAPORE – They rallied from 2-6 down to lead 7-6, and a berth in the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) men’s water polo final was within sight. But the Greek fairy tale turned into tragedy when they conceded an equaliser in the final second of their semi-final before world No. 2 Spain went on to win the penalty shoot-out 4-2 on July 22.
While the vocal Greek fans were left in shock and tears, the Spaniards will go into the July 24 final against Hungary hoping to win a World Cup and WCH double in the same year, and give stalwart Felipe Perrone the perfect send-off.
The Brazil-born 39-year-old Perrone, who has six WCH medals with Spain, including gold in 2022, told The Straits Times: “It was a really emotional game. We really struggled… we scored six goals and we couldn’t score one more.
“Then we scored in the last second to draw and won on penalties. This is the beauty of the game, and people who watched this game saw how all the players, not just us but also the Greeks, gave our hearts and souls.
“Never in my best dreams did I think I would be in the world championships final in my last tournament. I’m 39 and it is not easy.
“These guys have a lot of energy, and I worked a lot and gave everything to be here. Before the tournament, I wasn’t even sure if I would come, but my kids told me to enjoy it, and I’m really enjoying it now.”
Spain led from the start as they did well to elicit exclusion fouls on the fourth-ranked Greece and score the first two goals.
While Greece bounced back to reduce the deficit to 3-2, Aristeidis Chalyvopoulos incurred a four-minute exclusion after he punched an opponent underwater just two minutes into the second quarter.
Spain took advantage of their extra number to score three without reply for the 6-2 lead.
Then came the astonishing Greek fightback, after Alvaro Granados was red-carded in the third quarter.
While the attendance at the 3,000-seater OCBC Aquatic Centre remained in the hundreds, the decibel was raised with every Greek goal and save, with their staunch supporters singing, whistling, cheering and jeering relentlessly.
Amid the ruckus, Nikolaos Gkillas put Greece in the lead for the first time at 7-6 with less than two minutes remaining.
A desperate Spain saw two shots saved and Perrone hit the post, and had just three seconds in the last possession which Alberto Munarriz made the most of by piercing the defence at the death to silence the crowd.
In the shoot-out, Spain’s Perrone, Bernat Sanahuja, Munarriz and Marc Larumbe converted all their penalties, whereas Dimitrios Skoumpakis and Konstantinos Kakaris saw their shots saved by Unai Aguirre.
A crestfallen Greece captain Konstantinos Genidounias said: “We had the ball and we had only one job to throw it as far as we can and come back to defence. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go far away, we gave them an opportunity to shoot and that’s the worst part.
“I’m feeling empty, really. That’s water polo, that’s sports, that’s life. One second you have something, the other second you don’t. I think it’s one of the worst ways to lose a game.”
The other semi-final was a goal fest, but similarly tight as the third-ranked Hungary edged out Olympic champions and world No. 5 Serbia 19-18 in the chase for their own historic double, as they are also in the women’s final where they take on World Cup winners Greece on July 23.
Hungary coach Zsolt Varga said the win served as a motivation for the team after their poor results at major tournaments.
“This win is so, so important because last year, we had a few issues. We were fourth in the European championship, seventh in the world championships and then fourth in the Olympics,” he said.
“It’s important for us that we can prove that there is a Hungarian team who can fight till the end. No matter what happens, we will fight to the end.”
Serbian star Dusan Mandic rued their poor defending against the Hungarians.
“We’re very disappointed. We didn’t play like we wanted to play. We (conceded) 19 goals. This is too much.”
In front of hundreds of flag-waving fans, Hungary burst out of the blocks and raced to a 6-3 lead, only for Serbia to show their resilience by leading 8-7 before going into half-time at 8-8.
Pumping themselves up by celebrating every goal with a roar and clenched fists, the Hungarians were persistent and precise in their attacks as they opened up an 18-13 gap.
Still, Serbia, who were led by Mandic, the best male water polo player of 2024, got back to within a goal, but another later equaliser did not materialise.
The men’s water polo drama had started earlier in the day. Following Canada’s 16-11 win over Brazil in the 11th-12th play-off, Romania bounced back from a 4-12 half-time deficit to draw 16-16 before Japan won 4-3 in the shoot-out of the 9th-10th play-off.
In the fifth-eighth semi-finals, Montenegro beat Italy 12-8 before the top-ranked Croatia beat United States 14-9.
Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic Award for 15th Straight Season
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown volleyball earned the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award, the AVCA announced on Monday (July 21). The Bears continued their strong success in the classroom, earning the Team Academic Award for the 15th-straight season. Brown is just one of 17 programs in women’s Division I volleyball to have a […]
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown volleyball earned the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award, the AVCA announced on Monday (July 21).
The Bears continued their strong success in the classroom, earning the Team Academic Award for the 15th-straight season. Brown is just one of 17 programs in women’s Division I volleyball to have a streak of 15 years earning the honor.
To earn the award, a team must post a year-long GPA of 3.3 or higher. This year, the AVCA honored 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball teams.
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