MISSOULA — Corvallis’ Hunter Loesch competed in the Nike Outdoor Championships and the USA Track and Field U-20 Championships Sunday, bringing home a third-place finish in the javelin throw.
Competing at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Loesch’s best throw reached 217 feet and four inches. The launch was good for third in the competition, trailing Nolan Carey of Pennsylvania (220-02) and Bryson Jacobs of Missouri (220-03).
The recent Blue Devil graduate won a state title in the javelin throw last Month, surpassing second-place Darrell Lefthand of Hardin by over 10 feet. The individual championship helped the Corvallis boys secure a three-peat for team titles, too.
Loesch is set to compete for the Montana Grizzly track and field team in Missoula this fall.
Carson Cashion is a sports writer for 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @CarsonCashion or contact him at carson.cashion@406mtsports.com.
RIVERDALE, NY– Manhattan Men’s and Women’s Cross and Country and Track and Field Head Coach Todd Witzleben officially rounded out his 2025-26 Track and Field Coaching Staff with the additions of Justin Kleppel, Waddell Rembert-Jett, and Amanda Chambers on Tuesday morning. Assistant Coach Paddy McGrath remains as the Throws Coach for the Green and White.
Kleppel joins the Jasper family and returns home to Downstate New York after a four-year stint as a student-athlete for the Buffalo Bulls in the MAC.
Led by then Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben of Buffalo’s Men’s Cross Country, Middle Distance and Distance Coach, Kleppel recorded career bests in numerous events, including the Indoor 60-Meter Dash with a time of 6.92. Outdoor 60-Meter Dash with a time of 7.13. Outdoor 100-Meter Dash of 10.86. Indoor Long Jump with a distance of 6.90m. Finally, the Outdoor Long Jump with a distance of 6.86m.
“I’ve watched as Justin developed from a walk-on at the University at Buffalo into the leader of the jumps squad,” described Witzleben. “I’m excited to bring him home to New York and have him mentor our strong jumps program at Manhattan.”
In his graduate campaign in 2024-25, Kleppel was named to the All-MAC Second Team for helping his team place second in the Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay at the MAC Outdoor Championships with a season-best time of 41.62. Individually, he finished ninth in the long jump finals with a personal best mark of 6.81 meters. Kleppel graduated from Buffalo with a degree in Public Health.
Kleppel hails from Queens and attended Francis Lewis High School, where he claimed PSAL Borough Champion in the Long Jump with a high school best 22’5″ in the respective event, with a mark of 11.84 in the 100m event.
Rembert-Jett hails from Columbia, SC, after attending South Carolina State as a four-year member of the Bulldogs Track and Field program.
“After a long search process, we found exactly what we were looking for in our new sprints and hurdles coach when we found Waddell,” described Witzleben. “He has the knowledge and enthusiasm to build a program that will soon get noticed around the NCAA.”
The Columbia native made his mark just two months into his collegiate career with a second-place finish at the Buccaneers Invitational with a 4x100m time of 41.04. Later that year at the Gamecock Invitational Outdoor, Rembert-Jett, once again, shone in the 4x100m event with a time of 39.63 and a top-five finish.
In the following indoor campaign, Rembert-Jett took the UAB Vulcan Invitational by storm in the 60m event with a time of 6.88 to finish atop the leaderboard in the respective event.
In his junior year, Rembert-Jett again claimed victory in a pair of 4x400m events. First, at the Samford Bulldog Open with a time of 3:16.34, while beating the previous time by nearly three whole seconds at the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 3:13.64, to sit atop the leaderboard again. Rembert-Jett graduated with an undergraduate degree in 2022 and with a graduate degree in May 2025.
Chambers, a former student-athlete at the University at Albany, was a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field programs for five seasons, highlighted by three America East All-Conference accolades.
“Amanda was highly recommended as an up-and-coming distance coach,” said Witzleben. “As an athlete, she battled adversity to become one of the top runners in the Northeast. She knows what it takes to be great. Our Jasper athletes are going to benefit greatly from her experience and leadership.”
While a member of the Great Danes, Chambers captured her first victory as a student-athlete at the Central Connecticut State University Invitational in the 4x400m event with a time of 4:13.28. At the RPI Capital District Classic, the Schenectady native again took the 4x400m event by storm and posted another victory with a time of 4:05.82.
In the final event of her collegiate career, Chambers took home first place in the 10,000m at the IC4A/ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 34:18.13.
After her stint as a student-athlete, Chambers joined the team as an Assistant Coach for Middle Distance and Distance runners under the tutelage of Matt Jones and Roberto J. Vives. Chambers, under the historical duo, helped the women’s program capture its 14th straight and 16th overall America East outdoor title, extending its longest active conference winning streak among Division I institutions. As a member of the Jaspers Track and Field coaching staff, Chambers will also join the Cross Country coaching roster.
Finally, making his return is former Jasper and current Throws Coach, Paddy McGrath ’95. McGrath, a 2008 Manhattan University Hall of Famer, rejoined the coaching staff in 2019 and has overseen the throwing contingency ever since.
“Paddy [McGrath] will continue coaching our throws group. We have put together an outstanding staff that will lead us to MAAC Championships through strong coaching and recruiting,” said Witzleben. “We’re building a positive team culture that will provide our student athletes an incredible experience.”
The Jaspers return to action on Friday, January 9, when the Green and White’s Indoor season continues with a trip to The Armory to compete in the Lions Indoor Invitational hosted by TCNJ.
Hawaii junior outside hitter Louis Sakanoko sat down for an interview before the second men’s volleyball practice on Monday and took a deep breath.
“Man, I’m tired,” he said with a smile.
That’s the grind of having less than a week to prepare for the season as the No. 2-ranked Rainbow Warriors, who held their first official practices on Sunday, do what they can over five days to be ready to take the court on Friday in the season opener against New Jersey Institute of Technology at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
UH is holding three consecutive days of two-a-day practices before getting a day off for the holiday.
Friday’s match marks the first of eight over a 15-day period to start the season at home. Following UH’s match against Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 16, the Rainbow Warriors won’t play at home again until March 4.
“We all know physically we can play with any team,” junior setter Tread Rosenthal said. “I think, mentally last year, we were a little immature at times, and we didn’t understand the full weight of every game matters and every point matters.”
Don’t miss out on what’s happening!
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It’s FREE!
Hawaii is coming off a 27-6 season that included a Big West Conference championship and an appearance in the national semifinals.
UH’s season ended in a three-set loss to UCLA, which went on to lose to Long Beach State in the final.
Hawaii returns six of its top seven kill leaders from last season, including Rosenthal, a third-year starter at setter who made the AVCA All-America first team last year.
Rosenthal was one of three Rainbow Warriors, along with sophomore outside Adrien Roure and opposite Kristian Titriyski, named to the Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Team on Monday.
Hawaii, which opens the season No. 2 in the country in the AVCA preseason rankings, was picked to finish second in the Big West behind Long Beach State in the preseason poll voted on by the league’s six head coaches.
UH defeated the Beach twice last year, including in the Big West tournament championship.
Hawaii was the only team to have three players selected to the preseason all-conference team.
“It’s fun to see the excitement surrounding the program and seeing the guys react to it,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “A guy like Roman (Payne), a guy like Trevell (Jordan) … I kind of laugh about it because they have no idea how much their lives are going to change in the next few months.”
Payne, a 7-foot freshman from Carlsbad, Calif., and Jordan, a 6-foot-10 sophomore transfer from Grand Canyon, are two new middle blockers who should enter the rotation right away.
Quintin Greenidge, a 5-foot-8 junior transfer from Canada, is the replacement for departed senior ‘Eleu Choy at libero and has been called by Rosenthal as a name to watch early in the season.
“I think Quintin is a very legit libero on the international stage and he has been very consistent for us in the practice gym,” Rosenthal said. “I know that that will translate to our games.”
The Rainbow Warriors are as loaded as any team in the country. Whether it was experienced three-year players in the program like Rosenthal or Sakanoko, or a newcomer like Jordan, everyone who spoke to the media Monday talked about finding consistency in every play on the court.
“It’s nice to hear that it’s seeping through a little bit. I’ve heard it back from some of them, but words are easy, action and lifestyle is a whole different thing,” Wade said. “Everybody loves the idea of being a champion and playing in front of sold-out crowds. Not everybody loves the lifestyle and not everybody embraces showing up every day and being the best version of yourself possible on a daily basis. It’s hard. It’s hard for anyone at any stage of life, let alone 19- and 20-year-olds.”
Assistant coach Kupono Fey has been promoted to associate head coach, taking over the role previously held by Milan Zarkovic, who departed for UCLA in the offseason. Donan Cruz will continue on the staff as an assistant coach.
Hawaii’s January schedule includes a pair of doubleheaders on Jan. 14 and 16.
UH will rotate a morning 11 a.m. match and an evening 7 p.m. match against Rockhurst and Roberts Wesleyan.
Loyola-Chicago, which UH hosts on Jan. 8 and 9, begins the season ranked No. 7 in the country. NJIT is the second team outside of the Top 20.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest volleyball and head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer announced the addition of Andrea Roman on Tuesday.
A transfer from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Roman will join the Demon Deacons’ roster for the 2026-27 school year with one final season of eligibility remaining. She spent each of the last three seasons as a member of the Trojans’ volleyball program.
Roman is the second individual to ink with the Deacs this winter, as Catherine Burke also recently signed on Dec. 17.
Andrea Roman | 5-4 | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Humacao, Puerto Rico | Little Rock
One of the country’s top defensive players this past fall as a junior, Roman ranked second in the NCAA in total digs, finishing the 2025 season with 632. That total was good for the most by a Trojan in a single season throughout program history at Little Rock. In addition, her 5.31 digs-per-set average ranked fourth nationally. Roman’s stellar play led to her being named the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Defensive Player of the Year while also earning First Team All-OVC honors. Her clips in total digs and digs-per-set average both led the league. She had four performances of 30-plus digs and 13 with 20 or more while recording three of the top 10 single-match dig marks in program history during the season.
As a sophomore in 2024, Roman played in all 32 matches while making appearances in 125 sets. She led the team with a then-program record 624 digs and averaging 4.99 per set. Roman ranked first in the conference in total digs and fifth among all NCAA players. Her total ultimately helped Little Rock reach a new best single-season mark in digs as a team (2,227) through program history. She also played a notable role in the team’s setting tempo, finishing with 161 total assists. By the conclusion of the season, Roman was named Second Team All-OVC.
During her freshman season, Roman led the Trojans in digs (315) while seeing action in 22 matches and 79 sets played. She was also third on the roster in service aces (80). In all but one of the final 16 matches of the season, Roman led Little Rock in digs.
Andrea Roman Career Accolades & Accomplishments
2025 OVC Defensive Player of the Year
2025 First Team All-OVC
2024 Second Team All-OVC
Ranks No. 1 all-time in single-season digs (632) at Little Rock
Ranks No. 2 all-time in career digs (1,571) at Little Rock
Five-time OVC Defensive Player of the Week honoree
Personal Andrea is the daughter of Sylvia Gonzalez and Julio Roman – she also has two older siblings. In the classroom, Andrea plans to study Health & Exercise Science during her time on campus.
From Coach Hulsmeyer
“I’m so happy to have Andrea joining us to bring depth and experience to our libero group. With Emma Farrell graduating, Andrea provides an experienced defender who averaged over five digs per set this past season and is someone who has seen a lot of tough serving in the OVC. Getting her to Wake Forest in January will allow us to acclimate her for the speed of the ACC. I’ve known her former coach, Van Compton, for many years, so not only is she a well-trained skilled player, she is also someone of great character. She will be a wonderful addition to the Wake Forest family.”
High school volleyball teams in the Coastal Region won three state championships this season and 13 teams earned spots in the AHSAA state championship tournament.
McGill-Toolen dominated Class 7A, winning its fourth straight title and 25th AHSAA state championship while Spanish Fort won its second straight Class 6A title and fifth overall, all coming since 2015. Mobile Christian won its second straight Class 3A championship.
Class 3A St. Luke’s won to the title match before falling to Mobile Christian while Class 5A UMS-Wright and Class 4A Orange Beach each earned spots in the final four.
Other teams winning to the Elite Eight were Class 7A Bayside and St. Paul’s, Class 6A Saraland, Class 5A Faith Academy, Class 4A St. Michael and Class 1A Millry and Leroy.
The Press-Register All-Region team is compiled by the AL.com high school sports staff with input from coaches.
AL.com named Player of the Year, Attacker MVP, Defensive MVP, Setter MVP and Coach of the Year. Award winners are listed separately, but considered first-team selections.
McGill-Toolen’s Alice Wood celebrates after wining set point in the third set to give McGill-Toolen a two-sets-to-one lead against Thompson during the AHSAA Class 7A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com)
Vasha Hunt
Alice Wood, McGill-Toolen
5-9, Jr., Setter
Region second-best 1,362 assists, region-best 27.8 assists per match average, 57 kills, 76 blocks, 302 digs, 61 aces
College: Kansas State
ATTACKER MVP
Daphne’s Ella Lomax watches her attack during 2025 action. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory
Ella Lomax, Daphne
5-11, Sr., Outside Hitter
Region-best 753 kills, region-best 13.45 kills per match average, 35 blocks, 313 digs, 81 aces
College: UNA
DEFENSIVE MVP
Mobile Christian’s Melissa Patel dives for an attack during the AHSAA Class 3A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory
Melissa Patel, Mobile Christian
5-5, Sr., Libero
684 digs, 57 assists, 40 aces
College: Southwest Baptist
SETTER MVP
Spanish Fort’s Cailyn Boykin sets the ball against Hazel Green during the AHSAA Class 6A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory
McGill-Toolen coach Kate Wood signals the serve location against Thompson during the AHSAA Class 7A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory
Kate Wood, McGill-Toolen
Spanish Fort coach Gretchen Boykin directs her team during the AHSAA Class 6A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory
Gretchen Boykin, Spanish Fort
Mobile Christian coach Mallory Boyington watches the action during the AHSAA Class 3A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory
Middle: Chelsey McReary, T.R. Miller, Jr.; Reece Wilmott, Bayside Academy, Jr.; Mikadyn Cauley, Faith Academy, Jr.; Natalie Maxwell, Spanish Fort, So.; Gabi Berlage, Fairhope, Sr.; Maddie McKinley, Washington County, Sr.; Raina Gunter, Washington County, Sr.; Lily Willingham, Saraland, Sr.
Setter: Sophie Hester, Bayside Academy, Jr.; Grace Thigpen, Daphne, Sr.; Ivey Marston, St. Paul’s, Sr.; Ella Bilbo, Orange Beach, Sr.
Defensive Specialist/Libero: Ava Hodo, Orange Beach, Sr.; Emma Kate Frazier, St. Luke’s, Fr.; Kendall Dougherty, St. Paul’s, Sr.; Addy Busby, Fairhope, Jr.
DENTON – This past fall semester UNT student-athletes achieved the highest departmental grade point average in Mean Green history with a 3.457.
For the first time ever all 14 athletic programs earned a semester G.P.A. above a 3.150. Six teams earned their highest semester G.P.A. in their respective program’s history and four others achieved their second highest semester G.P.A. in their program’s history.
This marked the 13th consecutive semester of a 3.0 or better department wide grade point average and the seventh consecutive semester that UNT improved on the previous semester’s departmental G.P.A.
“The Fall 2025 semester was an outstanding one for Mean Green Athletics in the classroom,” said UNT VP/Director of Athletics Jared Mosley. “Our student-athletes continue to demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence, and their success is a direct reflection of the support and expectations we have in place. I want to thank our academic services team, led by Suzanne Dickenson, for their leadership and dedication in supporting our student-athletes and helping them reach their full potential both on the field and in the classroom.”
For the sixth consecutive semester the UNT women’s golf team led the way for the department as they earned a 3.907 fall semester G.P.A.
The Mean Green tennis team has now recorded a team G.P.A. of 3.0 or better for 28 consecutive semesters. The UNT soccer team and swim and dive team have both also maintained streaks of 20-plus consecutive semesters with a team G.P.A. above a 3.0.
Fifty-two UNT student-athletes this past fall earned a 4.0 grade point average. The Mean Green women’s track team led the way as they had 11 student-athletes named to the prestigious 2025 Fall President’s List. The tennis team had the highest percentage of student-athletes earning President’s List honors as 72% of its roster had a 4.0 G.P.A.
The UNT men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s track and field teams all earned their highest semester G.P.A.s in program history.
Lastly, 47 UNT student-athletes earned their diplomas this past fall.
