CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University skiing will introduce five first-years to the program in 2025-26 as part of the Class of 2029, Cate Brams, the Paul J. Finnegan Family Head Coach for Harvard Nordic Skiing, and Scott MacPherson, The Peter H. Carter ’69 Head Coach for Harvard Alpine Skiing, announced on Thursday.
 
The Crimson’s Class of 2029 includes three skiers on the nordic side and two skiers for the alpine team. The group includes one student-athlete each from Alaska, California, Idaho, New York, and Ontario.
 
Harvard’s incoming class features Braden Bellizzi (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.), Caleb Boyce (Boise, Idaho), and Logan Cuddy (Anchorage, Alaska) on the nordic side as well as Maya Eisner (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and Tristan Leightell (Toronto, Ontario) on the alpine side.
 
The group joins a Harvard program that has qualified skiers on both the alpine and nordic sides for the NCAA Championships in each of the last five competitive seasons.

Braden Bellizzi
Nordic | Honeoye Falls, N.Y. | Honeoye Falls-Lima

Earned All-Greater Rochester Skier of the Year honors in 2023 … Gained First Team All-Greater Rochester from 2021-23 … Garnered First Team All-Monroe County from 2021-23 … Represented the Mid-Atlantic Region at Junior Nationals from 2022-25 … Won an individual New York state title in 2023 … Helped team win New York state titles in 2022 and 2023 … Captured an individual sectional championship in 2023 and team sectional championships from 2021-23 … Also competed in soccer and track and field … National Honor Society member and chapter president … Enjoys surfing, whitewater kayaking, and exploring nature … Son of Kellin King ’99 and Matt Bellizzi ’96; both parents competed in nordic skiing at Harvard. 

Caleb Boyce
Nordic | Boise, Idaho | Boise High School

Earned the Hummel-Fereday Award as a junior … Raced for the Bogus Basin Nordic Team … Also competed with the Boise Brave Mountain Bike Team … Won the Tour de Bogus 25k … Helped mountain bike team win the state championship three times … National Merit Finalist and an AP Scholar … Selected as the Idaho winner of the “Celebrate the West” art competition … Plays the piano … Son of Heidi and Cody Boyce. 

Logan Cuddy
Nordic | Anchorage, Alaska | Robert Service High School

Earned All-America honors in 2023 … Gained All-State accolades in 2024 … Captured Team MVP laurels in 2024 … Helped team win a state title in 2022 and finish as state runner-up in 2023 and 2024 … Part of team that garnered a rating as the top high school team in the nation in 2022 according to U.S. Skiing … Served team as a two-year captain … Raced for Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center … Earned the 2024 Youth Volunteer Award … Selected as an Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy … Served as the President of high school’s Special Olympics Partners Club … Aunt Nina Kemppel competed in nordic skiing at Dartmouth and represented Team USA at four Olympics (1992, 1994, 1998, 2002) … Son of Denali Kemppel and Kevin Cuddy; Denali competed in nordic skiing at Dartmouth, earning All-America honors.

Maya Eisner
Alpine | Pacific Palisades, Calif. | Rowland Hall (Utah)

Qualified for U.S. Nationals in 2024 and 2025, for U18 Nationals in 2024 and 2025, and for U16 Nationals in 2022 and 2023 … Qualified for U16 NPS at Burke Mountain in 2023 … Competed for the Mammouth Mountain Ski Team from 2021-23 and for Rowmark Ski Academy from 2023-25 … Earned Academic All-State honors … Also played soccer; helped team win a Utah 2A State Championship in 2023 … An AP Scholar with Distinction … A volunteer and student chapter co-founder of Grow the Flow, an organization advocating for the Great Salt Lake’s survival through legislation and research … Daughter of Sydney and Brian Eisner.

Tristan Leightell
Alpine | Toronto, Ontario | Green Mountain Valley School (Vt.)

Earned a bronze medal at the U19 Canadian Giant Slalom National Championships in 2025 … Ranked in the top five overall in the Canadian Giant Slalom standings in 2023, 2024, and 2025 … Placed first at the Ontario Cup in 2020 and 2021 … Selected as the Best Ontario Cup Boy at the U14 level in 2019 and the U16 level in 2021 … Raced for the Georgian Peaks Alpine Club, Ontario Development Ski Team, Green Mountain Valley School, and the Burke Mountain Academy E-Team … Also played ice hockey and lacrosse … Organized a skateboarding marathon, raising over $5000 for Beaver Valley Outreach … Son of Karen and Stephen Leightell.
 

The worlds best surfers are showing their talent this week at Lower Trestles.

The famous wave just south of San Clemente is the eighth stop on the World Surf League Championship Tour.

Local surfers are making their mark, advancing to the final rounds, while some bigger name are left watching from the sand.

Here are some of the highlights from the first two days of competition.

https://www.ocregister.com/2025/06/11/local-surfers-dominate-wednesday-solidify-spots-in-finals-of-trestles-pro/https://www.ocregister.com/2025/06/10/fans-competitors-excited-to-see-kelly-slater-surfing-trestles-pro/

PENN LAIRD — Many athletes have a pregame regimen to get motivated before they go out to perform.

It could be listening to their favorite workout or hype music, watching old sports highlights, or listening to motivational speeches.

Whatever it takes, athletes will do what they can to get in the mode and be game-ready.

For Spotswood senior pitching aces Carter Lenz and Brady Hoover, neither of them has any go-to superstitions.

That’s because the two simply live for the game, and the excitement and thrill of taking the mound and competing gives them the spark they need before they take the field.

“Honestly, it kind of does itself,” Lenz said. “I love the game of baseball, so every game gets me pretty fired up and gets me going a little bit. … I just live in the moment with my guys.”

Where does Hoover get his energy from as he trots out to the mound?

At least this year, Hoover lets the feeling of knowing it could be his final high school game bottle up inside and gets set to release that adrenaline against whoever steps up against him at the plate.

“I don’t know when it’s going to be my last time playing high school baseball,” Hoover said. “If that doesn’t get you fired up, I don’t know what does.”

Hoover and Lenz have maximized that drive to keep playing high school baseball because, win or lose, they’ll be hanging up the Spotswood blue and white after this weekend.

In the end, the pitching duo could call themselves state champions.

“Carter and Brady are extremely special athletes,” SHS head coach Marcus Davis said. “Anytime they’re on the mound, they give us a chance to be successful. We’re extremely thankful for them. They put in a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Hoover and Lenz have varying pitching styles, making them a phenomenal 1-2 punch for the Blazers pitching staff.

They have differing mentalities on the bump, but Lenz said he and Hoover have a unique bond that pushes them both to be at their best.

“We’re both very similar people,” Lenz said. “We get along great. He’s a great teammate and I love to have him around. We use each other to push each other. Very similar in skill level and we just like to treat every game like a competition in the game. We always try to see who can have the better outing and push each other that way. It’s just a really fun dynamic between us.”

Hoover and Lenz have proven they can go the distance in any game while throwing a high volume of strikeouts, and while that might be similar, their styles are different.

Davis described Lenz as having a “closer” mindset on the mound with excellent velocity and extreme competitiveness.

No matter the situation, Davis said Lenz never wavers and believes he can get the job done.

“His mentality is more of a closer,” Davis said. “He’s going to dominate. That’s his mentality, is ‘I’m going to dominate whoever’s in the box, no matter what.’ … Carter is all-out, all the time, and I love it.”

Hoover is a more traditional pitcher, Davis said, describing him as one who throws a ton of pitches for strikes and understands the role of a starter.

“Brady is more of a finesse guy,” Davis said. “He pitches with some velocity but does a good job spotting.”

Hoover and Lenz have alternated as the starting pitcher essentially every other game this season.

With that amount of activity, Hoover said it’s important for he and Lenz to hold each other accountable, even if it’s the small things such as getting a run in after the game.

“I think we usually keep each other in check,” Hoover said. “After games, we always have [to run], so we always keep each other to that standard of finishing our running and all that. It just keeps us in good shape to be able to come out and pitch the next game and be ready.”

Davis often talks about executing the four phases of the game, with pitching being one of them.

Whether it’s Hoover or Lenz on the mound, the duo both have the confidence in themselves and in each other to check off that box every game.

“When I’m on the mound, I’m like, ‘All right, tonight, we’re getting that pitching box checked off,’” Lenz said. “‘We’re getting that done. I’m going to do my part to help our team win.’”

Hoover has played in his fair share of big-time games at Spotswood, but none will be greater than this Friday’s state semifinal matchup against Kettle Run at Fluvanna County High at 1:30 p.m.

But with the experience of those huge moments over the years, Hoover isn’t shying away from the spotlight this weekend.

“I feel like through all the big games I’ve played in my life, it’s definitely helped me up to this point,” Hoover said.

Hoover and Lenz have thrown some of their best outings in their final season with the Blazers, and the duo will look to do the same this weekend as they aim to notch two more victories and bring home the hardware to Penn Laird.

“It’d mean everything,” Hoover said. “It’d be awesome. … It’s what everyone works for and what everyone lives for.”

Lenz couldn’t find the words to describe what a state championship win would mean.

But one thing he knows for sure, between heartbreak in the playoffs the previous few years and the camaraderie among the players, Lenz knows it would be special.

“It’s something to look back on,” Lenz said. “It’s your last time really playing with the group of guys you grew up with, so it makes it special. Whenever a game is special, everyone is going to put their all into and really go all-out for it.”