By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — The four of them have combined to win 30 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference individual titles, set eight school records and make 10 appearances in the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships.

Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.), Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.) have had distinguished careers with the Bridgewater State University women’s and men’s track & field programs.

When the Bears conclude the indoor season this winter, though, it will mark the end of a successful run in a BSU uniform for Sands, Abrantes, McBirney and Adigwe.

They are competing for the Bears one last time, taking advantage of one final season of eligibility that is available because there was no BSU indoor season in the winter of 2022-23.

Sands, Abrantes, McBirney and Adigwe have returned for a fourth and final indoor season after winding up their outdoor careers last May.

Three of them, Sands, McBirney and Adigwe, are graduate students while Abrantes had one semester of classes to complete this academic year.

The four have the chance to take care of some unfinished business this winter season before closing the curtain on their careers in March.

Here’s a look how four standing track & field athletes are approaching their last season with the Bears, the next meet taking place Jan. 17 at the Tufts University Branwen Smith-King Invitational:

SERENITY SANDS

A two-time NCAA Division III indoor All-American first-team performer in the high jump, Sands was originally planning to attend graduate school at Springfield College this academic year.

But a last-minute change in plans led Sands back to BSU where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in mental health counseling.

“I knew I wanted to do track one more season, and it was up in the air if I was going to be able to do it (at Springfield),” said Sands. “I knew I needed to figure out a way to do it. I knew I had potential and wanted to see how good I could get and that made it an easy decision.

“Then I decided Bridgewater was a better fit for me. I know I really trust the training of Coach K (Christine Kloiber) and that worked out well.”

Sands owns the BSU indoor high jump record of five feet, 8.5 inches. She finished fourth at the national meet during the 2023-24 indoor season and eighth a year ago for All-American honors.

Sands made four trips to the NCAAs in the outdoor season and has won MASCAC and Division III New England championships as one of the programs best high jumpers ever.

In her only competition this season, Sands first in the high jump (5-3) at the Art Kadish Elm City Challenge in New Haven, Conn.

Sands is looking for a strong finish to her career after placing 13th at the NCAAs last spring.

“Last spring was really disappointing for me,” said Sands. “Two weeks before the nationals, I jumped the highest in over a year. I felt pretty good momentum going into the meet and I felt pretty confident with what I could do.

“But I didn’t and it was pretty heartbreaking but also very motvating during the summer when I was working out. I want to place better at the national championship meet.”

Sands graduated from East Bridgewater High in 2019 but was away from track & field for two years before joining the BSU squad in the 2021-22 winter season.

Since then, she has been a consistent points producer for the Bears. Now, a career that has included 25 MASCAC athlete of the week honors is winding down.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Sands of having one more season. “It is scary and exciting. It’s scary because I have one more chance and I know I have really big goals. It’s exciting because I have nothing to lose and just have to give it my all.

“Ultimately, the goal is to be happy and know I did everything to finish my career with no regrets. Being at Bridgewater, it feels like home. I trust my teammates, my coaches wholeheartedly. It feels perfect that I get to wrap it up here where I started.”

KIARA ABRANTES

Abrantes owns BSU indoor records in the 200, 400 and 500 races as well as the outdoor 200 and 400.

She has won eight MASCAC championships (200 and 400) and was the Division III New England champion in the 400 last spring.

Abrantes competed in the NCAA Championships last winter and spring in the 400 and has a goal to be back on the national stage this March before finishing her career.”This winter season, I really hope to be back at nationals and I would love to be an All-American in the 400,” said Abrantes, a secondary education major.

Abrantes started this season by winning the 300 at the Suffolk Relays and placing first in the 400 at the Boston University Mini-Meet with an improved time from a year ago.

It has been a superb start in the grand finale season of a career to remember.

“I never would have thought I would have gotten this far,” said Abrantes. “I’ve made my younger self so proud.

“I’m happy with the career, but I still want more. I’m so proud of myself, but I want a little bit more from my track career and then I’ll be satisfied.”

Abrantes was part of the 4×100 relay team that finished sixth in the nationals last spring in addition to competing individually in the 400 during the winter and spring at the NCAAs.

“It was amazing (to be at the NCAAs), but also super nerve-wracking,” she said. “You get there and look around and you don’t recognize many faces or the schools. Everything is just so much more official. It kind of got to me a little bit, but I’m so happy that I have that experience.

“I know exactly what it’ll be like and I’ll be a little more calm and less anxious if I get back there.”

Abrantes, who will pursue a Master’s degree in special education after graduating, thinks back to the 2021-22 season and how far she has traveled at BSU, overcoming shin splints from a stress reaction.

“I’ve been thinking about it so much,” she said. “It almost makes me emotional. Having it end in the winter is so strange because I’m used to having a full season.

“Thinking about it coming to an end in the winter is devastating, but also it motivates me because I want to be the best athlete I can be. It’s really pushing me to dig deep and go after my dreams.”

KEVIN McBIRNEY

The BSU indoor record-holder in the 800 and 1,000, McBirney has won 12 MASCAC track & field championships and one in cross country.

He took part in the NCAA Division III Championships last winter and has been an All-New England performer.

McBirney missed time in 2022 due to a stress fracture in his left leg but returned to be one of the region’s top runners.

Now pursuing a Master’s degree in management after graduating last spring, McBirney opened this season by winning the 800 at the Suffolk Relays and placing second at the BU Mini-Meet.

After racing at the NCAAs last March, McBirney wants to get back to that level and improve on his time.

“I want to be an All-American at the end of the year,” said McBirney. “That’s been the goal since I got here and especially since the season ended last year.

“You have one more chance at doing this. You feel like you don’t want to leave anything on the table. It was pretty much a no brainer for me to come back.”

McBirney made an impact right away as a freshman, winning the 1,000 and the mile at the indoor MASCACs and the 800 and 1,500 at the outdoor meet.

He was unsure about attending college while in high school, then didn’t know if he’d run track while at BSU. Now, McBirney has a long list of accomplishments with the Bears.

“I’m not satisfied at all, but at the same time, I didn’t think I’d be doing any of this,” said McBirney. “It’s been better than I expected.

“I’d be a lot more satisfied if I finished top eight in the winter at the NCAAs. But it’s been good. It’s been ups and downs, things I accomplished and things I haven’t accomplished yet that I want to.”

The first two races of the final season have been productive for McBirney, who has four meets before the MASCACs on Feb. 15.

“I feel like I’m completely different than where I was a year ago,” said McBirney. “Me and my coach have been training really hard and I feel like I’m a lot different. The first two meets reflected that. It’s the fastest I’ve run in December since I’ve been here.

“It’s a little bit sad (running one last season). I’m putting everything into it, 100 percent. I feel like I do my best work when the clock is running out, my back’s against the wall. You’re never going to get this again, the college feel of competitiveness, so it’s sad.”

CHIGOZIE ADIGWE

Adigwe graduated last May with a degree in computer science and is studying for a Master’s in cyber security now.

A seven-time MASCAC champion as a hurdler, Adigwe reached the NCAAs during the indoor season of 2021-22 when he was a freshman.

Adigwe has been the MASCAC athlete of the week 11 times and has earned Division III All-New England honors five times along the way.

“I had one more shot at it and I wanted to give it a go again,” said Adigwe of returning this season. “It’s kind of bittersweet. Track has been a part of my life for so long. To have it end is bittersweet. I’m trying to make the most of it.”

Adigwe opened last month by finishing first at the 60 hurdles at the Suffolk Relays.

He put in plenty of preparation to get ready for the finale.

“Going into this year, I have way more experience and now it’s about me combining all that experience and giving it one last push, one last spark.

“I’m going to take every meet, do what I have to do and then be ready for the next one. I’m going to put my best foot forward every meet.”

Adigwe, who would like to do some track & Field coaching in the future, won the 110 hurdles four straight outdoor seasons in the MASCAC and the 400 hurdles three years. He was second in New England as a freshman in the 60 hurdles.

Adigwe is looking forward to his last season on the track, hoping to make the most out of it.

“My ultimate goal is to be a national champion,” said Adigwe. “That’s what everyone wants. My main goal is to get myself back to 100 percent. Once I’m there, it’s to do better than my PR and keep climbing from there on.

I would say I’m satisfied with my career. It’s been a pretty good career. Some seasons didn’t end the way I wanted, but overall, it was a pretty good career.”

Hawaii men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade is keeping his New Year’s resolution simple this year.

“Just win baby,” he said Tuesday.

The No. 2 Rainbow Warriors volleyball team is poised to do a lot of that this season heading into back-to-back matches tonight and Friday against No. 7 Loyola Chicago, which will make its season debut at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center at 7 p.m.

Hawaii started its season last week sweeping New Jersey Institute of Technology in two impressive performances before a combined attendance of nearly 11,000 fans.

The Highlanders, who were the second team outside of the preseason AVCA top 20 rankings with 15 votes, failed to score more than 17 points in any of the six sets played.

Hawaii hit .517 as a team overall with 11 hitting errors. UH outblocked the Highlanders 23-6 and had 11 aces to NJIT’s two in a start to the season fitting of a team looking to compete for a national championship.

“It’s hard to start a season with new guys and we haven’t played in so long, but I’m really glad in how we played in those first two games,” sophomore outside hitter Adrien Roure said Tuesday.

Roure is one of five returning starters UH put on the floor to open both matches before going to its substitutes in the third set of each win.

The offensive numbers among the starters are even more eye-popping. In the first two sets of each match played, Hawaii’s starters combined for 47 kills and only four errors in 71 attempts for a blistering .606 hitting percentage.

“We are more mature,” said sophomore opposite Kristian Titriyski, who leads Hawaii with 23 kills and a 3.83 kills per set average. “This is my second year, Adrien’s second year, Louis (Sakanoko’s) third year and Tread (Rosenthal’s) third year, so we’ve got a lot of guys that have been in this program for more than a season now, so we know what to do and try to do better than last year and I think that’s the difference.”

That maturity was evident both in hitting and behind the service line, and arguably nobody was a better example of that than Sakanoko.

The junior outside hitter, who tied a school record with nine aces in his second career match with the ‘Bows, has had a tendency to be erratic from behind the service line. It was not uncommon to see Sakanoko launch a ball multiple rows deep into the crowd.

Against the Highlanders, he did not commit a hitting error and in Sunday’s sweep, he landed every serve in.

His 10 kills against NJIT came on only 15 swings for a .667 hitting percentage.

“Third year is usually the payoff year and they start to figure it out a little bit,” Wade said. “With maturity comes perspective and I think his perspective on what he is capable of and what he needs to do to help the team win is a lot better than what it was (two) years ago.”

The competition cranks up quickly with the Ramblers coming to town.

Loyola Chicago’s last appearance at the Stan Sheriff Center was a five-set win two years ago in both teams’ second match of the season.

The Ramblers are coming off a 25-4 season in which they won the MIVA and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

That loss to Loyola Chicago is also the last time Hawaii has suffered a defeat in the month of January.

“Of course we are expecting them to play a lot better than (NJIT),” Titriyski said. “They are playing a lot faster. Tactically, they have, no disrespect to NJIT, better players, and I feel like we’re prepared for them.”

Titriyski has posted double figures in kills in 19 of his 25 games as a Rainbow Warrior.

Loyola Chicago assistant coach Dalton Solbrig played at UH from 2016-19 and was a member of two NCAA tournament teams, including the national runner-up squad in 2019.

RAINBOW WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL

At Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

No. 2 Hawaii (2-0) vs. No. 7 Loyola Chicago (0-0)

>> When: Today and Friday, 7 p.m.

>> TV: Spectrum Sports

>> Radio: KKEA 1420 AM / 92.7 FM

Chris Duerr joined the Muddy River Sports staff in August 2025 as sports director, following a distinguished 30-year career as the sports director at KHQA-TV. A native of Sacramento, Calif., and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Duerr developed a strong fanbase with his tireless work ethic, personable delivery and weekly interactions through social media, including his “Duerrisms” column. He received the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award in 2018. Duerr was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.

It’s been another banner season for the Ferris State football team, and the university is ready to celebrate it, along with the success of its volleyball program.

Ferris State President Bill Pink declared Monday “Bulldog Spirit Day,” with the university in Big Rapids hosting a “high-energy event” at the David L. Eisler Center, 805 Campus Drive, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The community is invited to join university employees and students in the celebration.

The Bulldogs’ football team won its fourth Division II national championship in five seasons last month, defeating Harding, 42-21, in McKinney, Texas. The national title was the exclamation point on 16-0 season in which the Bulldogs averaged a whopping 52.8 points per game and set a program record for victories in a season.

HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball coach Cindy Pindral announced six incoming freshmen to the team for the 2026 season. They are outside hitter Reagan Lesley, middle blocker Laney Knaack, setter Ella Maxwell, outside hitter Kayla Heinonen, defensive specialist Natalie Leach, and outside hitter Mia Hahn. They have all committed to continuing their education and playing careers at Michigan Tech in the fall.

“This is a very exciting and dynamic signing class that will bring a lot of energy and skill to our roster,” Pindral said. “Each of these student-athletes have earned high accolades during their prep careers, and I have no doubt that they will each leave a positive mark on our program.”

Reagan Lesley

Reagan is a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Clinton Township, Michigan. She was a four-year starter on varsity and two-time captain for Chippewa Valley High School, where she led the Big Reds to three consecutive conference championships. She was the 2024 MVP/Player of the Year for her conference. Reagan was a three-year All-Conference First Team selection, a two-time First Team All-County, and a four-year All-State Academic Student.

In her senior season, Reagan was named All-Region and broke Chippewa Valley’s 29-year-old kills record with over 1,400 kills and led her team to its first district championship since 2014. She played club for both Michigan Elite and Unified.

Reagan will be pursuing a degree in business.

Laney Knaack

Laney is a 6-0 middle blocker from Waunakee, Wisconsin. She has been the starting middle for Waunakee High School varsity, as well as for Sting United and Madtown 18-1s national club teams. During her senior season, Waunakee was ranked fourth in the state in Division 1, went 41-9-0 overall, and made it to the Wisconsin State semifinals. Waunakee also won its conference in her junior and senior years.

In her senior season, Laney earned Honorable Mention All-State Badger-Large Conference, Second Team All-Conference, ranked second in the conference in hitting percentage, and fourth in blocks.

Laney will be pursuing a degree in business.

Ella Maxwell

Ella is a 5-8 left-handed setter from North Aurora, Illinois. She was a three-year starter for West Aurora High School and the captain of the team in her senior year. She received Upstate Eight Conference Player of the Year honors in 2025 and was a three-time All-Academic Varsity Scholar. Ella led her team to a Conference Championship in 2024 and a runner-up finish in 2025, which marked the first time the school advanced past the first round of regionals in 2019. Ella hit the 1,000-career assist mark in her senior season with 600 assists as her season total.

She also played for Club Fusion Volleyball Club for six years and was a JVA-Watchlist member in her junior year. Additionally, Ella was a State Qualifier in track and field for the 4×400 relay in 2023 and 2024. She earned All-Conference and All-Academic honors in track and field in 2023 and 2024.

Ella will be pursuing a degree in business at Tech.

Kayla Heinonen

Kayla is a 5-8 outside hitter from Delano, Minnesota. She was a four-year varsity player for Delano High School and attended the Minnesota State Tournament in two of the four years. She was voted All-Conference and won the team’s Leadership Award in each of the last three seasons.

In her senior season, Heinonen held Delano’s highest hitting percentage and earned an All-Tournament team spot at the AAA Showcase Tournament. She plays for Crossfire Volleyball Club at the Elite level. Kayla also had three state appearances for Delano track and field.

She will be pursuing a degree in either business or kinesiology/integrative physiology.

Natalie Leach

Natalie is a 5-5 defensive specialist from Burlington, Wisconsin, where she was a three-year letter winner for Burlington High School and played club for VC United. Natalie helped lead her team to Conference Championships in the 2023 and 2025 seasons and was a State Qualifier in WIAA Division 1 in her 2023 season.

She was named team captain in her senior season and led the Demons with 4.2 digs per set, and earned First Team All-County and Honorable Mention All-State recognition. Natalie was named to the WVCA All-Academic Team in all three eligible seasons and named First Team Best and Brightest by AVCA for her senior season.

She plans to major in engineering.

Mia Hahn

Mia is a 5-11 outside hitter from Fairbanks, Alaska, where she was a two-year letter winner for Lathrop High School. Mia was named MVP and First Team Middle Alaska Conference All-Conference while helping her team to a 4A State Tournament Quarterfinal appearance in the 2025 season. She led the conference in kills and earned multiple All-Tournament awards, including Best Attacker at the Whaler Invitation in Barrow, Alaska.

Mia competes with Alaska Elevate Volleyball Club and was recently selected as one of the top 12 players in the state of Alaska to represent the Alaska U.S. Team at the 2026 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon, where she will compete against Canadian provincial teams and international programs, including Norway and Finland. Prior to Lathrop, Mia competed for Kaiserslautern High School (Germany) and earned All-Euros Tournament Team honors as a sophomore.

She plans to major in business while at Tech.