NAPERVILLE – The Carthage women’s track and field team concluded day one of the Outdoor College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships in sixth place. The Firebirds are off to a great start with strong performances across the board, highlighted by three Firebirds placing in the hammer throw, scoring 14 points. 

1. North Central, 44
2. Elmhurst, 41
3. Illinois Wesleyan, 37
4. Augustana, 30
5. Wheaton, 30
6. Carthage, 27
7. Carroll, 14
8. Millikin, 5.5
9. North Park, 5.5 

SPRINTS

Julie Heinrichs grabbed the final qualifying spot in the 400 meter dash with a time of 59.28.

Tara Schaalma advanced in the 400 meter hurdles after clocking in a time of 1:07.08.

JUMPS

In the long jump, three Firebirds scored. Christina Hall led the Firebirds in third place, with a mark of 5.61 meters. Abbey Calhoun and Teagan Johnston collected marks of 5.37m and 5.36m for fifth and sixth place finishes. 

THROWS

Three Firebirds scored in the hammer throw. Alexis Mattox led the Firebirds, throwing a mark of 53.34 meters and snagging second place. Nicole Tarpley took fourth place with a mark of 49.00m. Madison Payne grabbed eighth place, throwing a mark of 44.82m.

MULTI

After four events (100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200-meter dash), Johnston sits in fourth place with 2359 points in the Heptathlon. Julia Kraus is currently in sixth place with 2221. Johnston and Kraus will compete in the long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meter run tomorrow to complete the seven events.

The Firebirds will be back in action tomorrow, Saturday, May 3, for day two of the Outdoor CCIW Championships. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Senior Andrew Cogley was the runner-up in the decathlon to highlight the performances of four members of the St. Olaf College men’s and women’s track and field teams in the multis to kick off the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday and Friday at Carleton College’s Laird Stadium.

Cogley earned his first All-MIAC accolade in the decathlon with his second-place showing, breaking his previous personal-best score by 102 points with a total of 6,414 points. That score ranks 14th in NCAA Division III this season, putting the senior in position to qualify for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and is fifth on St. Olaf’s all-time list.

Sophomore Jesse Olson posted a personal-best score of 4,924 points to finish 12th. Junior Claire Keech surpassed her previous personal-best score by nearly 250 points and claimed Honorable Mention All-MIAC honors by taking sixth (3,704 points), while sophomore Aubree Klein totaled 3,327 points – a PR by over 100 points – to place 12th.

Cogley was in the top five in seven of the 10 events and tied or set a new PR in seven events over the two-day meet to earn eight points for St. Olaf in the team standings. The senior was third in the standings before surpassing Anthony Thurk of Saint John’s University by winning the 1,500-meter run by over 19 seconds in 4:26.05 to jump up to second. Earlier in the day on Friday, Cogley had PRs of over one meter in the discus throw (37.22m, 122′ 1″) and over two meters in the javelin throw (53.17m, 174′ 5″), with the latter mark ranking sixth on St. Olaf’s all-time list.

Olson recorded four PRs over the two days in his 12th-place finish, breaking his previous top performances in the 100-meter dash (12.03), long jump (5.88m, 19′ 3 ½”), 400-meter dash (54.37), and 110-meter hurdles (19.22). The sophomores highest finish in the 10 events was a seventh-place result in the 1,500-meter run (4:58.24).

After finishing seventh last year, Keech jumped up one spot to sixth in the heptathlon to grab Honorable Mention All-MIAC honors. The junior recorded three PRs out of the seven events, doing so in the 100-meter hurdles (16.79), high jump (1.38m, 4′ 6 ¼”), and 200-meter dash (27.86). Keech’s performance earned St. Olaf three points in the team standings heading into the rest of the meet next week.

Klein also improved one spot from her finish from a year ago with her 10th-place performance. The sophomore logged PRs in the 100-meter hurdles (17.90), 200-meter dash (27.48), javelin throw (23.83m, 78′ 2″), and 800-meter run (2:36.15) while moving up two spots on Friday to crack the top 10.

St. Olaf will host the Ole Open on Saturday, May 3 starting at noon at Klein Field at Manitou in the team’s final meet before the MIAC Outdoor Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 9-10.

 

Osaka Marvelous won the inaugural women’s title of Japanese volleyball’s rebranded SV.League on Saturday, defeating NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki in Game 2 of the best-of-three final.

Lise Van Hecke nailed a spike on match point as the Marvelous followed Friday’s Game 1 win with a 25-22, 25-21, 25-16 victory at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

“We’re happy to make history as the first SV.League queens,” Marvelous captain Mizuki Tanaka said.

Osaka Marvelous players (foreground) celebrate after winning a point during the first set against NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki in Game 2 of the SV.League women’s volleyball final on May 3, 2025, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

“It was a season with many new things. We had a new head coach and new players. We played many more games. I’m so glad our team effort resulted in this title.”

The Marvelous and Red Rockets finished the regular season in first and second, respectively.

Earlier Saturday, Suntory Sunbirds Osaka came back from two sets down to beat JTEKT Stings Aichi 3-2 in the opening match of the men’s final.

Suntory Sunbirds Osaka’s Dmitriy Muserskiy (facing camera) spikes the ball against JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 1 of the SV.League men’s volleyball final at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on May 3, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The Sunbirds won 21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 32-30, 26-24, with 218-centimeter-tall Dmitriy Muserskiy leading the way.

Game 2 is scheduled for Monday at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.

The Sunbirds finished the regular season in second place behind Osaka Bluteon, who lost in the semifinals to the fourth-place Stings.

Related coverage:

Volleyball: Osaka Bluteon run winning streak to 16 games in SV.League

GULF SHORES, Ala. – No. 7 Texas beach volleyball battled the No. 2 seed TCU in its first NCAA Championship tournament but fell, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. The Longhorns finished its season 28-10 in its first official season with postseason eligibility.

The Texas No. 4 pair of Noa Sonneville and Macey Butler dropped the first match to Ana Vergara and Anhelina Khmil, 21-13, 21-12. The pair finished the season with a 25-11 record, winning 20 matches on court four and five on court 5.

Karin Zolnercikova and Maddison Parmelly on court 3 dropped the next point after Allanis Vasa and Sofia Izuzquiza took the point in straight sets, 21-15, 21-16. The top pair for Texas finished with a team-leading record of 27-7 and snapped its 13-match win streak.

The Horned Frogs claimed the final point on court 2 after Hailey Hamlett and Maria Gonzalez defeated Emma Grace Robertson and Katie Hashman, 21-19, 21-19. The 2s finished the season with a 25-13 record.

Texas finished its historic season with a winning record, saw the top courts finish with a winning record, swept the CCSA Championship and earned CCSA honors, including Coach of the Year and six All-CCSA honors.

WAVERLY — Getting two event wins from both Kaleb Brand (fifth year, Mount Vernon) and Kale Purcell (senior, Holton, Kan.), the Central College men’s and women’s track and field team took eight individual titles at a triangular meet hosted by Wartburg College Friday.

Central and Wartburg were joined by Simpson College at Friday’s triangular. Multiple key contributors were not competing for the Dutch.

Brand won both the men’s 400 meters (48.31 seconds) and the men’s 200 meters (21.86 seconds). Purcell swept the triple jump (47 feet, 1 inch) and long jump (22-7.75).

Gunner Meyer’s (junior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) high jump clearance of 6-4.75 gave the Dutch men a fifth individual title.

On the women’s side, Mary Gustason (junior, Marion, Linn-Mar HS) won the 100-meter dash in 12.37 seconds. She led off the winning 4×100-meter relay that won in 47.90 seconds. She was joined by Ava Parkins (sophomore, Monmouth, Ill., Burlington Notre Dame [Iowa] HS), Danika Arnold (freshman, Glenwood) and Emily McMartin (junior, Pella).

           

Alivia Roerdink (junior, Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS) also was victorious in the 800 meters (2:16.47).

           

Central travels to Indianola next weekend for the American Rivers Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The three-day event starts on Thursday.

 

Top-three finishes – women

100 meters – 1. Mary Gustason, 12.37

200 meters – 2. Emily McMartin, 25.17

400 meters – 2. Emily McMartin, 56.76; 3. Ava Parkins, 58.09

800 meters – 1. Alivia Roerdink, 2:16.47; 3. Riley Packer, 2:20.82

3000-meter steeplechase – 2. Abby Halverson, 12:52.90; 3. Chloe Ristau, 13:03.35

4×100-meter relay – 1. Mary Gustason/Ava Parkins/Danika Arnold/Emily McMartin, 47.90

Triple jump – 2. Ella Jumper, 30-9

Long jump – 2. Jasmyn Williams, 17-4.25

 

Top-three finishes – men

200 meters  – 1. Kaleb Brand, 21.86

400 meters  – 1. Kaleb Brand, 48.31

110-meter hurdles – 2. Grant Miller, 14.52; 3. Connor Miklos, 14.57

Discus throw – 3. Alier Agau, 138-8

Hammer throw – 3. Alex Zarlatanes, 144-6

High jump – 1. Gunner Meyer, 6-4.75

Triple jump – 1. Kale Purcell, 47-1; 3. Jackson Tavegia, 42-2.75

Long jump – 1. Kale Purcell, 22-7.75; 3. Owen Tomko, 21-2