Sports
How Milford water polo went from cancelled to alive in just months
On a summer Wednesday afternoon, new Milford boys water polo coach Paul Splitt is in the school’s weight room watching a group of his new players go through a workout. A pair of eighth graders walk in the room and come up to Splitt. They’ve never played water polo before, but one of them wants to start.
“And what about you?” Split says to the more reluctant of the boys.
“Just him, I don’t really want to play,” he says shyly.
“Oh, come on!” Splitt says. “Just give me five minutes in the pool, and you’re going to say ‘This is the greatest sport ever!’”
A minute of conversation later, both boys seem bought in. Splitt calls juniors Jack Larbes and Wilson Larimore over. He directs the upperclassmen to put both eighth graders through the same workout they’re doing. No more direction than that.
“You’re mentoring these guys today,” Splitt says. “I’ll be watching to make sure you do your job.”
Ending Milford boys water polo program blindsided everyone involved
Back in January, Milford canceled its water polo program. In the following months, a passionate effort from Splitt and girls coaches and Milford graduates Arija Walsh and Skyler Fontaine, along with Milford’s athletic department, Milford water polo boosters, alumni of the program and others in the Milford community, brought the program back before it ever missed a season.
Splitt’s hands-off approach with the eighth graders who showed up to work out was for a reason.
“It’s more important that (Larbes and Larimore) do this,” Splitt said. “It’s their team. It’s so critical that those younger kids see that they’ll have teammates that care about them and their development. And it’s critical that those older guys take ownership and realize that it’s not just about now, but it’s about what’s next. If they don’t care about the future of this team, where does that leave us?”
Milford as a whole has won three team state championships in its history. Boys golf won state in 1989. The other two were Milford boys water polo, in 2006 and 2008. The girls team’s history isn’t shabby either, as they reached the state final four six times between 2000 and 2014.
The program today might not be at its peak, but according to Splitt, that won’t be for long. The boys team will compete at the junior varsity level in 2025 and expects to field a varsity team in 2026. For this year, the goal is to survive and advance. Get enough players to field a team and hope it can win a few games along the way.
“You better get your wins against us now though,” Splitt said. “Because we’re coming.”
“At the end of this year, we’re going to compete for the JV championship. Next year, we hope to triple our numbers and field a varsity team. The goal is to make a statement and make a state final four next year. And that becomes the standard every year.
Milford water polo coach Paul Splitt has much invested in the sport
Milford’s water polo program means more to Splitt than might immediately meet the eye. He has coached water polo at many levels, from youth to high school, and spent time coaching in the US Olympic Development program, traveling the world from Barcelona to Greenwich and Budapest helping to hone the next generation of American water polo players and coaches.
In Budapest, he remembers walking the street with Tibor Benedek, a Hungarian who is widely considered to be the greatest male water polo player of all time. Water polo is the national sport of Hungary, and in those moments with Benedek, Splitt got to see what being friends with Michael Jordan would be like.
All of those incredible experiences come back to Milford water polo. Splitt played the sport in gym class early in high school and joined Milford’s team as a sophomore. He quickly fell in love and started coaching as an assistant at Milford during college. He’s been all over the place since then, most recently coaching at Mason, but he always wanted to be like Gary Tameris, the beloved gym teacher and water polo coach who took Splitt under his wing all those years ago. Now he has the chance to do that as the new Milford coach.
It was devastating back in January when Milford’s program got cancelled. Splitt found out via Instagram and was instantly equal parts angry and sad. Larbes found out via an email when he was in his graphic design class in the process of designing a poster to try and get more kids to come out for water polo. Sophomore Madeline House, a girls player who plays within the Olympic Development Program and dreams of one day playing Division I water polo, saw the email while she was in class and immediately started crying.
“Our team had worked so hard to build up, and then for it to get cut on a random afternoon in January was a big curveball,” House said.
Immediately after the news came down, Walsh and Fontaine started working to buy time. They knew they could get the help they needed to keep the program alive, but they needed some time.
In early May, they reached out to Splitt asking if he would be willing to come to a camp they were putting on as a guest coach. At that camp, about a month later, the three coaches started having conversations about getting the program back on track. Walsh and Fontaine were making good progress on the girls side, but there wasn’t yet a coach for the boys, who graduated more than a dozen seniors last season and had just three returning players.
“And I said, ‘What’s it going to take?’” Splitt said. “How were you able to salvage this for the girls.”
Splitt immediately got in contact with Milford’s athletic director, Aaron Zupka. About a week later, Splitt interviewed for the job and was expeditiously hired.
No corners were going to be cut in Milford boys water polo program
“And Aaron Zupka was very clear that if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right,” Splitt said. “We’re not going to just wing it, we’re not going to take half measures. So we came up with an action plan with the intent to first salvage the program, then build it up and make it sustainable for the future.”
The first order of business was getting the team’s existing players in the gym and show them that there was in fact going to be a boys water polo team in 2025. Now, Splitt and his players are focused on recruiting Milford students to join the team, and they’ve already gained a few players. Splitt said that support came from all over, like other programs in Ohio and even a nearby aquatic center that is letting Milford use its pool while the one at the high school is being renovated.
A couple of weeks ago, the program hosted a fundraiser at The Talon Tavern in Milford, which is owned by former Milford water polo parents. Employees of the Tavern said they had never seen the place so packed, and the fundraiser raised over $3,000.
“I walked in and I was overwhelmed, moved to the point of tears,” Splitt said. “The support in this community is unbelievable. And it’s not just one person, it was a collective group that said ‘this is not failing.’”
Milford is still hurting for athletes on both the girls and boys side. Splitt hopes that Milford parents and students will give it a try, and he truly believes that anyone who stepped into the pool and gave it a shot for more than five minutes would fall in love. Larbes says that the time outside the pool, bus rides, team meals and even playing video games before practice, is what makes the team really worth it.
“And you don’t have to wear a Speedo,” Larbes said. “It’s optional. You can wear jammers.”
Nabwe returned to the college indoor scene at the M City Classic where she tossed a season-opening 23.74m (77-10 3/4) in the weight throw to sit at No. 1 in the NCAA. The toss for Nabwe was over four feet further than her 2024 opening weight throw of 22.45m (73-8) at the same meet. Nabwe’s winning throw of 16.40m (53-9 3/4) in the shot put was also an improvement from last year’s opening indoor competition by nearly two feet (15.95m | 52-4). Nabwe’s shot put mark from the M City Classic is ranked No. 3 in the nation and the No. 1 in the Big Ten after last weekend’s action.
The weekly honor for Nabwe is the seventh the redshirt junior has earned between the indoor and the outdoor season. Last indoor season Nabwe became the first Big Ten weight thrower in nine years to repeat as champion at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and was just the fifth Big Ten women’s weight thrower all-time to defend their conference title. According to the USTFCCCA, Nabwe ranks No. 8 all-time with her lifetime best weight throw mark of 24.22m (79-5 1/2) – which she set at last year’s Big Ten Indoor Championships.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
This is the sixth straight season that the Huskies have had at least two players named to the AVCA All-America teams and the fourth time in program history that SCSU has had three or more All-America selections in a season which have all come in the last four seasons (four in 2021, three in 2022, three in 2024).
Thompson becomes the fifth player in program history to become a multi-time All-American after Lindsey Rachel ’22 (3x; 2019, 21, 22), Phebie Rossi ’22 (2x; 2021, 22), former teammate Kenzie Foley ’24 (4x; 2021, 22, 23, 24) and current teammate Emma Berran (2x; 2023, 24). Last season Thompson was also named to the second team. Kimm and LaPlant are the 12th and 13th players in program history to earn All-America honors.
The redshirt senior middle blocker was named a first team All-Central Region performer by the AVCA and Division-II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) after being named a second teamer by the AVCA in 2024. Thompson was also named to the All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team, to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team all for the second consecutive season and was also the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year this season. The Lakeville, Minnesota native averaged 3.89 points, 3.37 kills and 0.96 blocks per set this season on .331 hitting this season.
Kimm earned her first all-region and all-conference honors this season after being named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region Second team and the All-NSIC First Team. The North Liberty, Iowa native was also named to the to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team (second consecutive season). The junior outside hitter averaged 3.88 points, 3.47 digs, 3.40 kills and 0.46 blocks per set this season.
LaPlant also earned the first all-region and all-conference honors of her career this season after being named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region Second team and the All-NSIC First Team. The sophomore setter was also named to the to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team. She also became just the fifth player in program history to be named AVCA DII Player of the Week and was the lone Husky to earn weekly NSIC honors this season after being named Setter of the Week twice (her first career weekly awards). The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native averaged 11.69 assists, 2.21 digs, 1.23 points, 0.62 kills and 0.49 blocks per set this season.
This season, the Huskies won their second consecutive and fourth overall NSIC Tournament Championship (all in the last five seasons) after taking down the No. 13, No. 2 and No. 5 teams in the country and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Championship/Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season, tying the program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season, with two (4x; 1995, 2022, 2024, 2025). En route to the region championship, the Huskies beat the No. 17 team in the nation before taking down the No. 2 team and tournament host, Nebraska Kearney, on their home court.
AVCA All-America
Second Team:
Shelby Kimm
Braya LaPlant
Ella Thompson
AVCA RELEASE
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
WALTHAM, Mass. – The 2025 Bentley volleyball team continues to make history. Elizabeth Blinn is the first player in program history to be named to an All-America team, as she landed on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Third Team, the AVCA announced Wednesday morning.
Sophia Poehlein, Tory Vitko, and Lulu Pavan each received All-American Honorable Mention from the AVCA.
Prior to 2025, only two players in Bentley history earned AVCA All-American honors. Christiana Sadowski is a three-time All-American Honorable Mention (2005, 2006, 2007), and Alyssa Carter was an All-American Honorable Mention in 2003.
Heading into Thursday’s NCAA Quarterfinal match, Blinn leads the country in blocks per set (1.67). She is the Northeast 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, and she was named the Most Outstanding Player during the NE10 Tournament.
Poehlein is Bentley’s leading outside hitter, averaging 3.74 kills per set. Three times this year she reached at least 20 kills, each in just four sets. She had a career-high 23 kills in Bentley’s 2025 home-opener against Post.
Vitko is the 2025 NE10 Setter of the Year. She enters the NCAA Quarterfinals averaging 9.37 assists per set, and she has 10 double-doubles this season. Two of those double-doubles were during the NE10 Tournament.
Pavan’s 2.87 kills per set rank second on the team, and she has reached double-digit kills 12 times this season. Pavan’s collegiate career began with 10+ kills in each of her first four matches.
Bentley won the NCAA East Regional title for the third consecutive year. The Falcons are the only program in the country to reach the NCAA DII Championship Quarterfinals in each of the past three seasons.
The Falcons enter the NCAA DII Quarterfinals as the #6 seed, which is the highest seed ever for a team from the East Region. Thursday’s game time against #3 Point Loma is at 12 p.m. (EST).
MacCudden is the third member of the Bears’ 2026 class to receive AVCA All-America recognition.
Defensive Specialist Is A 2025 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
The California volleyball team has added another member to its incoming freshman class, with defensive specialist Siena MacCudden officially set to join Abby Zimmerman, Anna Flores and Nicole Milosevic as new Golden Bears in 2026. Both MacCudden and Flores have enrolled early and will be practicing with the team this spring.
“Siena is a great competitor and has played high level volleyball her entire career,” Cal volleyball head coach Jen Malcom said. “We appreciate how she carries herself on the court – steady in serve receive and scrappy on the defensive end. She will be a great addition to our back court group this spring. When she said she wanted to join the team early, we knew that we got someone who is all in and wants to be great.”
A native of Nashotah, Wisconsin, the 5-foot-9 product of Arrowhead Union High School was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Honorable Mention after a senior season in which she collected 685 digs, third most in the state, and was named Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association (WVCA) All-State and the Classic 8 Conference Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season while earning AVCA All-Region 6 honors. MacCudden was also named WVCA All-State and All-Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2023 after leading her team to the first of two consecutive regional titles.
With MacCudden’s assistance, her club team, Milwaukee Sting, won the national championship at the 2023 Girls Junior National Championships (GJNC) 15s, a year in which she was named to the AVCA Phenom and Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) Watch Lists for the first time. MacCudden was also recognized by the JVA Watch List in 2024 and 2025.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal volleyball, please follow the Bears on X (@CalVolleyball), Instagram (@calvolleyball), Facebook (Cal Volleyball) and TikTok (@calbearsvb).
GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men’s and women’s track and field programs started off their respective seasons with programs capturing four first-place finishes apiece over the weekend at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off hosted by the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, NC.
The Coastal Athletic Association awarded some of those accomplishments by naming junior sprinter Hayleigh Bryant Women’s Track Athlete of the Week and senior Dyimond Walker Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.
Bryant captured her first career weekly honor. She took first place in the seeded 200 meters by running an indoor personal-best 24.03, the eighth-fastest time in the country and the best in the CAA. Bryant joined junior Kymara Brodie, freshman Richari Wildgoose, and junior Serenity Brazell to win the 4×400-meter relay in 3:45.85. Their time is also a CAA-best thus far this season.
Meanwhile, Walker led a strong contingent of Aggies in the 800m. Walker won the event with a time of 1:52.68. Four other Aggies finished in the top 10 to dominate the event, including freshman Taysaun Wilson (2nd, 1:53.05), senior Dawson Grogan (3rd, 1:54.25), sophomore Elijah Thomas (5th, 1:55.69), and junior Kaleb Conway (9th, 1:59.15).
Walker also joined senior Ha’Mir Hampton, Wilson, and junior Isaiah Taylor to run a 3:12.29 to win the 4×400-meter relay. Walker’s 800m time is the best in the CAA and ranks ninth nationally. The Aggies are second in the CAA in the 4×400 and 12th nationally. Bryant, Walker, and the Aggies are not scheduled to return to action until January 17, when they will participate in the Mondo Collegiate Invitational at the JDL Fast Track.
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