CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois volleyball announced the addition of Lara Žigic to its 2025 roster on Monday. Žigic joins seven newcomers for the upcoming season.

Lara Žigic // Serbia // Serbian Super League // SPARTAK – Subotica // L // 5-3

Notes: Member of the Serbian Youth National Team… First Balkan Championship for U18… Named Best Libero and won Cadet Championship in 2022 and 2023… Earned World Championship for U19… Earned U20 European Championship… Qualified for U20 BVA…. Competed in the Serbian Super League and Serbian Cup.

Coach Tamas on Žigic: “Lara has a ton of high-level experience both with her national team and Serbian league. I’ve watched her play for the past two years and, for her age, she has played with and against the best in her country and around the world. We look forward to helping her learn and grow to reach her ultimate goal of being an Olympian.”

Why Illinois? “I’m excited to announce my commitment to play volleyball at the University of Illinois! I chose Illinois because the team competes in one of the top conferences in the country, and the coaching staff’s international experience and vision perfectly align with my goals as a student-athlete. I can’t wait to join the Illini family!”

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – With the season winding down, the Brandeis University track and field teams competed at the Williams College FIRE Invitational to work on their NCAA qualifying performances.
 
TOP TEN PERFORMANCES – WOMEN

• The Judges had one new performance reach the top 50 of the NCAA Division III leaderboard, as the 4×400-meter relay team of first-years Peterly Leroy (Malden, Mass./Prospect Hill Academy Charter School), Jazmin Berganza (Providence, R.I. Classical), and Sarai Sealy (New York, N.Y./Ursuline School), and senior Hannah Bohbot-Dridi (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos) finished in second place with a time of 3:51.03. That mark is 45^th in Division III this season, and trails Brandeis’s 31^st-ranked team that features junior Shaniece Nugent (Hartford, Conn./Lawrence Acad.).
• The same quartet also finished fourth in the 4×100-meter relay with a time of 47.88 seconds.
• Sophomore Sophie Segal (Hartsdale, N.Y./Ardsley) placed fifth in the high jump with a height of 1.58 meters (5 feet, 2 ¼ inches), tying her personal best set at the UAA Championships two weeks earlier.
• Leroy took sixth in the 400-meters with a time of 57.55 seconds. Bohbot-Dridi was 10^th in 58.21 seconds.
• Sophomore Natalie Liapis (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) took eighth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.38.

TOP TEN PERFORMANCES – MEN

• The top finish of the day for Brandeis men came in the javelin, where UAA champion sophomore Sam Krause (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman) placed fourth with a distance of 52.77 meters (173-1). The performance came on his fourth throw of the series.
• The Judges’ 4×100-meter relay placed fifth with a time of 43.12 seconds. The team was comprised of senior Jordon Colon (Devens, Mass./Bromfield School), junior Matthew Yue (Vancouver, B.C./Woodside Priory School), senior Danny Krigman (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) and first-year Jaiden Banton (Kingston, Jamaica/Woodstock Acad.).
• The 4×400-meter relay saw first-year Sam Rosen (Dallas, Texas/Lakehill Preparatory School) and junior Adam Rieden (Littleton, Mass./Littleton) join Yue and Banton to finish in seventh place with a time of 3:23.78.
• Senior Lucas Dia (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) took sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:24.09, setting a p.r. by nearly five seconds.
• Yue added a seventh-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 6.63 meters (21 feet, 9 inches).
• Sophomore Michael Laurin (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle Regional) rounded out the top-10 finishers for the Judges by placing ninth in the discus with a heave of 40.81 meters (133 feet, 11 meters).

The Mental Health Foundation is keen to highlight and celebrate the power and importance of community as being part of a safe, positive community is vital for good mental health and wellbeing. 

People thrive when they have strong connections with other people and supportive communities that remind us, we are not alone. Communities also provide a sense of belonging, safety and support in hard times, as well as giving us a sense purpose. 

Volleyball is a great way of becoming part of an active community. You can find a club close to you with the Volleyball England Club Finder tool on the website.  

More information about Mental Health Week and support and guidance from the Mental Health Foundation can be found on their website.  

There is also support on the following websites: 

MIND

Sport in Mind

Samaritans 

Childline

Last dive collapse cost British star Jack Laugher the gold medal in the men’s 3m springboard final at the 18th FINA World Championships here on Thursday as the reigning champion Xie Siyi defended his title, extending the Chinese winning streak to seven wins since 2007.

The last non-Chinese champion was Alexandre Despatie of Canada when he snatched the gold medal at the 2005 Montreal Worlds. Then Qin Kai, He Chong three times in a row, He Chao and Xie Siyi continued the unbeaten run for China until 2017. 

The men’s 3m springboard final was like a three-man showdown among Jack Laugher, Rio Olympic champion Cao Yuan and defending champion Xie Siyi.

Laugher, fifth place finisher two years ago in Budapest, kept the top position since his first dive and scored a game-high 105.30 for his fourth attempt – 5156B (Forward 2 1/2 somersault 3 twist). His 109C (Forward 4 1/2 somersault) was as high as 102.60, about 30 points higher than Xie. He then suffered a 207C crash (back 3 1/2 somersault tuck) for 30.60, the lowest mark among all the finalists. The 24-year-old had to concede to a bronze in 504.55 points.

Xie started from fourth in first round, then moved to third in his second attempt and stayed among top three with Cao before the last dive, a 109C, his only 100 plus score (102.60). He collected a total of 545.45 for the gold.

Rio Olympic champion Cao, winner in the synchro 10m platform and 3m springboard in Gwangju, was competitive all the way and collected his third medal by finishing 517.85 for the silver medal.   

Woo Haram of South Korea finished fourth in 478.80 and David Boudia of the United States, 2012 Olympic champion on platform, ended up in fifth place.

QUOTES

Xie Siyi (CHN), gold:

“It was a close game that Jack performed very well today. I looked at the score board after the third round and then I focused on myself. I did not watch Jack’s last dive but I comforted him before the awarding ceremony. It was very difficult for me to get high scores during the whole competition and when I heard the results, I roared to myself that I fought until the last moment. I was proud of myself as I regained the title.” 

Cao Yuan (CHN), silver:

“I was happy that I got my third medal in Gwangju, from springboard and platform. It was the first time I competed in three events at Worlds, I was in great pressure, both mentally and physically. I had some errors in my last two dives, but I was tired and I tried my best today.”

Jack Laugher (GBR), bronze:

“It’s a curious feeling… I had five amazing dives and then I make a mistake in my last 207C. I did not look at my video but I must have some technical problems in this dive since I had the same mistake in the semifinal yesterday. I put this dive as the last one all the time. I hit the wall with my right fist after I saw the results. I was angry about myself because I’m so passionate about diving in my life. When you could potentially make history and do such a good performance and then you make the mistake, I was really angry. But it’s OK,  I hope this might help me getting stronger next year at the Tokyo Olympic Games.”

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