Posted By: Richie Hall
May 9, 2025

The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2024-25 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.

Long Beach State star freshman setter Moni Nikolov’s historic season continues this week at the NCAA Tournament, as he’s led the Beach to the No. 1 overall seed and a Final Four match on Saturday against Pepperdine at 2pm. Nikolov has added another huge accomplishment to his resume–he was named the AVCA’s National Player of the Year, shortly after being named Freshman of the Year.

He is just the second-ever freshman to win National Player of the Year, after his brother Alex did it with Long Beach State a few years ago.

“I think when you look at Moni’s year, I think this is the most impact one player has ever had on men’s volleyball in one season that I’ve ever been around,” said LBSU coach Alan Knipe. “In every part of the game. His athleticism, his play, his leadership, all those things. We’ve had five teams with their biggest crowd when they’ve played us on the road this season–we’ve had extra security just to get him on the bus. None of that stuff’s nearly as important as what he does on the court, but when you package it all together it’s so special.”

Nikolov guided the Beach to a nation-best .399 attack while also setting a Big West record for most aces in a season, and now No. 2 in history as he approaches 100. He also killed, blocked, and dug balls in a way that few setters ever have, using his 6-8 physique to stress defenses in a unique way.

Nikolov said that he was happy to join his brother in making history.

“Before I came here it was kind of a joking rivalry with him,” he said. “But I didn’t come here to win this. It just so happened that I played well and helped my team and got the award.”

Nikolov said that Knipe called him into his office and shook his hand and said that only he and one other player had achieved this accomplishment: he and his brother Alex.

Nikolov also stressed that as fun as it was to win the award, his goal is two more wins.

“This is not the goal, this is not what I came here for,” he said. “If I could trade it for winning the championship with my team I would always trade it, it’s always the team first. I’m coming here for winning the Final.”

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Joseph Perriello set a personal-best and an all-time program Top 10 mark in the 110-meter hurdles and Cooper Kinsley set a personal-best in the shot put, falling less than one inch short of an all-time program Top 10 mark for the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s track and field team Thursday evening at the West Point Twilight event.

The first-year Perriello posted a time of 15.97 seconds in the 110 hurdles, shaving one-tenth of a second off his previous personal-best set last weekend at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Outdoor Championships, becoming just the 10^th man in program history to run under 16 seconds in the event.

The junior Kinsley finished Thursday with a top throw of 41 feet, 3.75 inches with 41 feet, four inches currently serving as the 10^th-best mark in outdoor program history.

 

In addition to various D-3 teams like Rowan, Rutgers-Newark, Farmingdale State, Merchant Marine, Mount St. Mary, the event featured such D-1 and D-2’s as UAlbany, Hofstra, Fordham, Colgate, Lafayette, Vermont, American International College, Adelphi, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the host Black Knights, with the Ducks holding their own in several events.

Ryan Paradine ran 1:59.24 in the 800m — besting runners from American International and Fordham –, Connor Robinson ran 58.37 in the 400m hurdles – besting an Adelphi competitor –, William Ladd cleared 1.86 meters in the high jump – tying two Army-West Point athletes –, and Braedan Joyce topped out in the javelin throw at 141 feet, four inches – four feet clear of another Army-West Point competitor.

UP NEXT

The Ducks will compete at the Widener Final Qualifier in Chester, Pa. next Monday, May 12, at 11:00 a.m.

#AllRise

 

The Montana track and field program will wrap up the regular season with the Tom Gage Classic in Bozeman on Friday. The Grizzlies will send a small squad over for a last chance meet before the Big Sky Championships in Sacramento next week.
 
While many athletes will rest this weekend in preparation for the conference meet, the Tom Gage Classic represents an opportunity for plenty of others. Montana’s travel roster is limited, but there are still spots up for grabs for any Grizzlies that have a strong performance in Bozeman.
 
“This is a very meaningful meet for several kids who are trying to grab one of those last couple of roster spots that are available,” head coach Doug Fraley said. “It’s a do-or-die situation for those kids, and it’s very exciting for them to be in that position. It’s going to be interesting how it shakes out and who will step up to grab those last few roster spots.”
 
It’s been a fantastic season for the Grizzlies, carrying over the momentum that they built during indoors. Montana currently has 55 individuals or relay teams ranked inside the top 10 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
They had their biggest week of the season at the Bengal Invitational in Pocatello last weekend. Montana knocked out three school records in Pocatello with Tara Ohlwiler (100m), Samantha Serex (pole vault), and the women’s 4×400-meter relay team all etching their names into program history.
 
The weekend also saw four Grizzlies move into regional qualifying position. The top 48 athletes in the NCAA West Region will compete at the NCAA First Round meet in College Station, Texas at the end of the month.
 
Serex’s school record boosted her into 44^th in the region. Ashley Carroll also moved into the top 48 in the women’s javelin with a PR of 152-7. The men also had two athletes jump into the top 48 with Carson Weeden (17-0.25, pole vault) and Patrick Kremer (6-10.25, high jump).
 
While many event groups will be resting this week, Montana’s top pole vaulters will be chasing new bars to either solidify a regional spot or break into the top 48. In addition to Serex, who still may need another centimeter to make regionals in the most talented pole vault region in NCAA history, Shealyne McGee and Molly Chambers are also inside the top 100 in the region.
 
Weeden is currently 37^th in the region, and teammates Kevin Swindler, Corbin Luce, and Carson Hegele are all inside the top 80.
 
“The pole vaulters will all be going and we’ve got some kids that are currently inside the bubble and some just outside the bubble for regionals, so those are the highest level performances we’ll be looking to get at this meet because we have vaulters that are really close one way or another,” Fraley said. “It looks like it’s going to be a good day to up that mark by a centimeter or two and either solidify their spots inside the bubble, or move into the top 48 if they are outside of the bubble.”
 
For many of Montana’s athletes making the trip to Bozeman, this meet will cap off seasons or even careers. The forecast calls for sunny weather in the 70s, which should provide a great environment for a final meet.
 
“It’s great that a lot of our athletes will have the opportunity to go up to Bozeman and either close out their season, or in some cases, close out their careers,” Fraley said. “It looks like it’s going to be great weather and a good opportunity for them to finish up their season or career on a positive note.”
 
MONTANA MEN’S ENTRIES
100m- Brody Thornsberry
200m- Brody Thornsberry, Cody Lease
400m- Garrett Dahlke, Landon Shilhanek
800m- Truman Thompson, Keagen Crosby, Morgan Amano, Michael Jump, Colin Shaules
1,500m- Lane Cole, Kanoa Blake, Zachary Giesch, Luke Mest
5,000m- Luke Mest, Zachary Giesch
400mH- Adam Maxwell
Pole Vault- Carson Weeden, Carson Hegele, Corbin Luce, Carter Petersen
Long Jump- Gordon McMillion, Brody Thornsberry
Discus- Tyler Bates
Shot Put- Wade Rykal
Hammer Throw- Tyler Bates, Wade Rykal, Memphis Black
 
MONTANA WOMEN’S ENTRIES
100m- Isabelle Berry, Audrey Smith, Destiny Santiago
200m- Cosley Bruno, Isabelle Berry, Destiny Santiago
400m- Cosley Bruno
800m- Mackenzie Morgan
1,500m- Heidi Olson, Abigail Kotran, Shay Pederson, Olivia Coll, Kayla Ingraham, Sofia Hinderman, Lucy Thompson, Ashtyn Wagner
100mH- Isabelle Berry
Pole Vault- Samantha Serex, Shealyne McGee, Molly Chambers, Emma Zimmerman-Weeden, Hannah Moses, Ani Smith
Long Jump- Emily Maughan
Discus- Mary Mickelson, Cathlene Van Zyl, Morgan Thomas
Shot Put- Cathlene Van Zyl, Calista Ousley
Hammer- Morgan Thomas, Mary Mickelson, Scout Nadeau, Calista Ousley
 

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans held its Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Friday at the Lakefront Arena and 48 student-athletes and athletic staff received their degrees.
 

The baseball team, in lieu of their ability to attend because of a road series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, had a special ceremony last weekend where the pending graduates were presented with their degrees by University President, Dr. Kathy Johnson.
 
The following list are the sports/departments, student-athletes/staff and their degrees received, forever making them Privateer alums.
 
BASEBALL
Brooks Byers (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Bryce Calloway (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Grant Edwards (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Matt Gonzalez (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Kai Hori (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Dalton Hurst (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Tristan Moore (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Jahlani Rogers (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Alexander Saunier (Biological Science)
Tyler Velino (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Diego Villescas (Interdisciplinary Studies)
 
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Ivana De Carvalho Peixe (Marketing)
Tristin Smith (Biological Science)
 
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Kerwin Prince (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Jamond Vincent (Interdisciplinary Studies)
James White (Interdisciplinary Studies)
 
GOLF
Britton Khalaf (Business Administration)
Matt Weber (Master’s Business Administration)
Maximilian Wojciechowski (Interdisciplinary Studies)
 
MEN’S TENNIS
Matthew Armbruster (Biological Science)
 
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Christopher Murphy (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Gary Sandrock (Chemistry)

POM

Abigail Truitt

Adeline Palmisano

Carli Malveaux

Joyce Horn

Olivia Monnerjahn

Valentina Mattos

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Syria Butler (Interdisciplinary Studies)

Alexis Calderon (Interdisciplinary Studies)

Sephora Kayolo (Interdisciplinary Studies)

 

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Anastassia Kouchnareva (Finance)

 

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Oxana Bonjorn-Giros (Civil Engineering)

 

VOLLEYBALL

Vera Beltrame (Master’s Business Administration)

Molly Kehoe (Business Administration)

Buse Kocakaya (Interdisciplinary Studies)

 

VOLLEYBALL/TRACK AND FIELD

Jamiryana Hall (Human Performance and Health Promotion)

 

STAFF

Gene Durand (Master’s Higher Education Administration)

Justin Montz (Master’s Business Administration)

 

FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETES

Michelle Folk (Master’s Business Administration)

Jannah Sharpe (Public Administration)

James Glisson III (Master’s Higher Education)

Connor Macip (Construction Management)

 

LANCASTER, Pa. – The Dickinson women’s outdoor track and field team continued to celebrate a successful season on Friday by having a eleven individuals earn places on the All-Centennial Conference Team.

First Team

A trio of Devils secured places on First Team by winning their respective events at the conference championship meet starting with Erin Olsavsky winning the 200m with a time of 25.22. The 3000m steeplechase was where Amiyah Priebe made her mark by topping the field with mark of 10:53.66. Annie Leder completed the trio thanks to a top long jump distance of 5.87m.

Second Team

Olsavsky earn her second recognition with a second place time at the conference meet of 12.51 for the 100m. Maddie Brown garnered her honor by stopping the clock in 57.84 during the 400m. Elizabeth Barbash was the final individual member of the Red and White to earn the award hitting the line at 17:50.51 in the 5000m. 

The 4x400m relay team of Abbe Kitchin, Marley Kurey, Lily Swain and Brown seized their spot with a time of 3:59.79.

Third Team

Maddie Garber took up third in the conference meet during the 5000m by hitting the line in 17:55.84. Jenna Deep rounded out the podium for the hammer throw with a mark of 42.72m. Leah Biwott earned her spot on the team with her performance in the long jump dropping in at 5.59m.

Sportsmanship Team

Catarina Acosta was the Devils honoree for the All-Sportsmanship Team.