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Indiana State sweeps MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships for second straight season

Published

7 months ago

May 19, 2025

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field hardware is staying where it belongs.

Indiana State swept the conference championships for the second straight season, totaling 208 points on the men’s side and 140.5 on the women’s side. The Trees finished 57 points ahead of Illinois State on the men’s side and 20.5 points ahead of the Redbirds on the women’s side. Indiana State’s title sweep gives the Sycamore combined cross country/track and field programs 50 total MVC titles. The Sycamores won back-to-back MVC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the first time since 1998-99 and recorded the program’s first four-peat as MVC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Champions since 2011-14.

The Blue and White entered the championships as the favorites and delivered under pressure throughout a sun-filled weekend in southern Illinois. Six different Sycamores – the men’s 4x100m relay team, Jahnel Bowman, Collin Forrest, Casey Hood Jr., Rachel Mehringer and Terrance O’Bannon – won individual titles Sunday afternoon, while Mehringer broke a conference championship record in the 100m hurdles and Sloan Cox broke the school record in the shot put.

In addition to the conference titles, the Sycamores also picked up a plethora of MVC specialty awards. Justice Boston and Emma Yoder were named Co-Freshmen of the Year on the women’s side, while Casey Hood Jr. was the MVC Most Valuable Men’s Athlete of the Championships. Rachel Mehringer was the MVC Most Outstanding Women’s Track Athlete, while Will Staggs was the MVC Elite 18 recipient for having the highest GPA among medalists.

TEAM SCORES
MEN
1. Indiana State – 208
2. Illinois State – 151
3. Northern Iowa – 124
4. Drake – 85
5. Southern Illinois – 79
6. Belmont – 64
7. Bradley – 54
8. Evansville – 26
9. Valparaiso – 17
10. UIC – 10

WOMEN
1. Indiana State – 140.5
2. Illinois State – 119
3. Northern Iowa – 110
4. Missouri State – 90
5. Bradley – 76
6. Southern Illinois – 75
7. Belmont – 73
8. Murray State – 64.5
9. Drake – 63
10. UIC – 8
T11. Evansville – 0
T12. Valparaiso – 0

Sunday MVC Champions

Sunday All-Conference

Casey Hood Jr. – 100m (second, 10.38)

Parker Doyle – 110m hurdles (third, 14.26)

Noah Gilmore – high jump (second, 2.02m/6-7.5)

Jaden Smith – triple jump (third, 14.89m/48-10.25)

Justice Boston – triple jump (third, 12.18m/39-11.5)

Sloan Cox – shot put (second, 18.62m/61-1.25, school record)

Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (third, 15.30m/50-2.5)

Noah Bolt – hammer throw (second, 61.65m/202-3)

Niesha Anderson – hammer throw (second, 58.51m/191-11, sixth in program history)

Jake Ottersbach – decathlon (third, 6881, fourth in program history)

Sunday Scorers

Daunte Majors – 100m (sixth, 10.61), 200m (fourth, 21.15)

Janiya Bowman – 100m (sixth, 11.90)

Michelle McDonald – 100m (eighth, 12.02), 200m (seventh, 24.47)

Trent Jones – 400m (fourth, 47.39)

Emerson Fayman – 1500m (fourth, 3:48.26)

Jason Dworak – 1500m (fifth, 3:49.11)

Emma Gresham – 1500m (sixth, 4:21.62, second in program history), 5000m (fifth, 16:55.36)

Ryan Handy – 5000m (fifth, 14:27.97)

David Carnell – 110m hurdles (fifth, 14.33)

Luigi Rivas – 110m hurdles (eighth, 16.91)

Janiya Bowman, Michelle McDonald, Krystian Dilosa, Rachel Mehringer – 4x100m relay (fifth, 45.38, eighth in program history)

Parker Doyle – 400m hurdles (sixth, 53.70)

Noelle Dilosa – 400m hurdles (fifth, 1:01.91, prelims time of 1:01.36 is eighth in program history)

Ethan Widenhoefer – high jump (fourth, 1.99m/6-6.25)

Kilan Macklin – high jump (sixth, 1.96m/6-5)

Amare Draughn – high jump (seventh, 1.96m/6-5)

Ellie Irwin – high jump (fourth, 1.69m/5-6.5)

Aaliyah Thurman – triple jump (sixth, 11.62m/38-1.5)

Wyatt Puff – shot put (seventh, 17.80m/58-4.75)

Niesha Anderson – shot put (eighth, 14.54m/47-8.5)

Emma Yoder – hammer throw (seventh, 51.10m/167-8)

Kathryn Ison – heptathlon (sixth, 4604, ninth in program history)

Ty Newsom – decathlon (sixth, 6407)

Zenon Rule – decathlon (eighth, 6181)

Saturday Recap

Sprints/Hurdles
Indiana State’s sprinters and hurdlers made significant contributions on Championship Sunday with five conference champions and a conference championship record broken. The Sycamores swept the 100 and 110 hurdles titles, with Rachel Mehringer running an MVC Championship record 13.07 to win the 100 hurdles and Collin Forrest repeating as 110m hurdles champion with a time of 14.09. Parker Doyle (14.26) earned all-conference in the 110m hurdles and also placed sixth in the 400m hurdles (53.70), while David Carnell (14.33) and Luigi Rivas (16.91) also scored in the 110m hurdles.

The men’s 100m continued to be a success story for the Sycamores, with Terrance O’Bannon (10.36) repeating as champion in the event and Casey Hood Jr. (10.38) right behind in second. Daunte Majors (10.61) added a sixth-place finish, and the trio combined with Matthew Wray to win the 4x100m relay in 39.73. Janiya Bowman (11.90) and Michelle McDonald (12.02) both scored in the women’s 100m, and also teamed up with Krystian Dilosa and Mehringer to run the eighth-fastest 4x100m relay at 45.38.

Hood Jr. also added a 200m conference title to his record-setting season with a time of 20.71, while Majors placed fourth at 21.15. McDonald finished seventh in the women’s 200m at 24.47, while Noelle Dilosa (400m hurdles, 1:01.91) and Trent Jones (400m, 47.39) both carded top-five finishes for the Sycamores.

Indiana State finished fifth in the men’s 4x400m relay, with the team of Weaver, Wray, Jason Dworak and Jones going 3:15.33. The Sycamores ran an all-distance crew women’s 4x400m relay, as Halle Miller, Hadley Gradolf, Erica Barker and Emma Gresham clocked a time of 4:12.92.

Mid-Distance/Distance
Indiana State scored points in every distance event it fielded entries in Sunday, including a pair in the men’s 1500 with Emerson Fayman (3:48.26) and Jason Dworak (3:49.11) both finishing in the top five. Emma Gresham ran the second-fastest 1500m time in program history on the women’s side, with her 4:21.62 putting her sixth in the field.

Gresham also ran a 5000m time of 16:55.36 to earn a fifth-place finish, with Ryan Handy also placing in the top five in the men’s 5000m with his time of 14:27.97.

Jumps
Indiana State had significant scoring in the jumps events Sunday, led by Jahnel Bowman’s indoor-outdoor triple jump sweep. Bowman had a career-best jump of 12.38m (40-7.5), with Justice Boston (12.18/39-11.5) earning all-conference honors and Aaliyah Thurman (11.62m/38-1.5) finishing sixth. The Sycamores also got an all-conference performance from Jaden Smith in the triple jump, courtesy of a season-best mark of 14.89m (48-10.25).

Indiana State’s high jumpers also had a strong day, with four Sycamores finishing in the top seven on the men’s side. Noah Gilmore cleared 2.02m (6-7.5) to earn all-conference honors, while Ethan Widenhoefer (1.99m/6-6.25), Kilan Macklin (1.96m/6-5) and Amare Draughn (1.96m/6-5) all scoring for the Trees. Ellie Irwin cleared 1.69m (5-6.5) on her first attempt to finish fourth on the women’s side.

Throws
Indiana State’s throwers had another strong Championship Sunday, led by Sloan Cox breaking the school record in the shot put. Cox had a mark of 18.62m (61-1.25) to finish second, with Wyatt Puff (17.80m/58-4.75) finishing seventh. Aliseonna Garnett (15.30m/50-2.5) earned a third-place finish on the women’s side, with Niesha Andeson (14.54m/47-8.5) also scoring points for the Sycamores in the shot put.

Anderson also had a career-best performance in the hammer throw, with her mark of 58.51m (191-11) ranking sixth in program history and giving her a runner-up finish in the conference championship. Emma Yoder also scored for the Sycamores with a mark of 51.10m (167-8). On the men’s side, Noah Bolt had a season-best hammer throw of 61.65m (202-3) to earn a second-place finish

Multis
Indiana State had four multi athletes score points, including all three decathlon entries. Jake Ottersbach continued his strong weekend, placing third with 6881 points, a top-five total in program history. Ottersbach had top performances in the 110m hurdles (14.61) pole vault (4.20m/13-9.25) and javelin (47.29m/155-2) on Championship Sunday. Ty Newsom finished sixth with a career-best 6407 points, bolstered by strong performances in the 1500m (4:48.17) and 110m hurdles (15.89). Zenon Rule placed eighth with a career-best 6181 points, with his strong performances in the pole vault (4.30m/14-1.25) and 110m hurdles (15.31) helping him secure a scoring position.

Kathryn Ison cracked the top 10 in program history in the heptathlon, with her 4604 points placing sixth at the championships and ninth in program history. Ison’s long jump of 5.26m (17-3.25) and performance in the 800m (2:29.34) helped her cause after a strong opening day. Chloe Rolen also recorded a career-best performance with 4427 points, with a strong 200m (2:28.17) finishing off her best-ever heptathlon.

Up Next
Indiana State turns its attention to the NCAA East First Round May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Florida, with qualifying athletes being announced in the coming days.

Follow the Sycamores

For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.

– #MarchOn –

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Hanson Wins Region Player of the Year, Cook Named Coach of the Year

Published

5 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Gophers senior outside hitter Julia Hanson was named AVCA Northwest Region Player of the Year while Keegan Cook was named Coach of the Year, the organization announced today.

There are 14 first-team All-Region members and an additional group of honorable mention selections for each of the 10 regions. A Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year were selected for every region.

The 213 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 109 different schools. Nebraska leads the way with seven All-Region selections, followed by Pittsburgh and Stanford with six apiece. Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin all have five All-Region first-team or honorable mention selections.

Joining Hanson on the AVCA All-Northwest Region First Team were freshman opposite Carly Gilk and redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson. Redshirt senior middle blocker Lourdes Myers and freshman middle blocker Jordan Taylor were named all-region honorable mention.

A Savage, Minn., native, Julia Hanson earns another major award after a magnificent senior season. She was also named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2025. During her fourth year in the Maroon and Gold, Hanson won Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 1 and was named MVP of the Golden Gopher Invitational on Aug. 31.

For the year, she totaled 26 10+ kill matches in 32 chances, posting a career-high 4.13 kills per set, a mark that ranked her fourth in the Big Ten. Hanson also hit a career-best .309, a mark that ranked her third among Big Ten pins.

She tallied five 20+ kill matches and averaged a career-best 0.30 service aces on the year. Her 26 aces in conference play put her at No. 8 in the conference. Defensively, Hanson posted 0.64 blocks and 1.60 digs per set. She was named as one of 30 players to the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List and was a Preseason All-Big Ten honoree. Hanson helped Minnesota reach its first Sweet 16 since 2022 after going for 36 kills last weekend in two matches (.500 hitting).

Coach Cook was named AVCA Region Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career and first at Minnesota. Cook led the Gophers to a 24-9 (12-8 Big Ten) record and a Sweet 16 appearance for the first time in his three years at the ‘U’. He and his coaching staff did this despite losing four starters to season-ending injuries in the first four weeks of the season. The Gophers played five freshmen starters for a majority of the season, including three-fourths of Big Ten competition. Minnesota also won four ranked matches this year, taking down No. 23 Indiana, No. 24 Penn State, No. 11 Purdue and No. 23 Iowa State.

Carly Gilk earned an all-region nod to go along with her Freshman All-Big Ten accolades. The rookie opposite posted 2.28 kills per set on a scorching .293 hitting in 2025. She also posted 1.70 digs, 0.60 blocks and 0.27 aces per set in 28 matches played. She had seven 10+ kill matches and seven 10+ dig matches on the year. Gilk had the best match of her freshman year on Oct. 26 at Purdue, tallying 15 kills (.364) and 10 digs in a five set match.

Redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson added an all-region honor after being named All-Big Ten Second Team and to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She averaged 9.78 assists, 2.16 digs, 0.61 blocks, 0.59 kills and 0.28 aces per set in her first year as a starter, playing in all 33 matches.

Swenson posted eight double-doubles, including a career-best 58-assist, 10-dig outing in a five-set win at Iowa. She ranked eighth in the Big Ten in assists per set and was fifth amongst setters with 0.59 kills per set. She was the first Minnesota freshman to post 1,000 assists in her rookie season since her sister, Samantha Seliger-Swenson, did so in 2015. Stella was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 1 after being named to the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team. She was added to the AVCA Mid-Season Player of the Year Watch List as the only freshman on there,

Redshirt senior middle blocker Lourdes Myers had the best season of her career in 2025 in the Maroon and Gold. She was named AVCA All-Northwest Region Honorable Mention after going for 1.70 kills and 1.19 blocks per set, playing in all 33 matches. Myers had two 10+ kill matches in 2025, including a 12-kill, nine-block match at Washington. She had seven-or-more kills 13 times and five-or-more blocks 12 times. Myers ranked ninth in the Big Ten in blocks per set.

Freshman middle Jordan Taylor also earned AVCA All-Northwest Region Honorable Mention. She had a banner freshman season, averaging a team-best 1.24 blocks per set, playing in 30 matches. Taylor averaged 1.35 kills per set on .355 hitting, going for five-or-more kills 12 times. She had five+ blocks nine times, including a career-high 11 block match at Iowa on Nov. 16.

The Gophers (24-9, 12-8 B1G) compete in the Sweet 16 against No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh (28-4, 18-2 ACC) at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday. The match will be on ESPN2.

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Badgers Land Five on AVCA North All-Region Team

Published

21 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

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MADISON, Wis. – Five total players of the Wisconsin volleyball team were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) North All-Region Team. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer was named North Player of the Year, while head coach Kelly Sheffield was named Coach of the Year.

The Badger list of North All-Region First Team honorees consists of Carter Booth, Mimi Colyer, Grace Egan, Kristen Simon and Una Vajagic. Head Coach Kelly Sheffield also earned his sixth Coach of the Year honor.

Freshman Kristen Simon was one-of-three freshman named First Team. In the regular season, Simon played in 89-of-92 sets as the starting libero for Wisconsin. The Kentucky native led the team with 3.49 digs per set, chipped in with 14 service aces and averaged 1.10 assists per set. She reached double-figure digs 19 matches, including a season-best in her very first collegiate match against Kansas with 23. The 5-foot-8 libero also earned Big Ten All-Freshman this season.

For the first time in her career, right side hitter Grace Egan earned All-Region honors. Traditionally, an outside hitter, Egan moved over to the right side and averaged 2.43 kills per set, 2.19 digs per set, 3.09 points per set and chipped in with 25 service aces this season for the Badgers. She totaled three double-doubles (kills, digs) against Texas, Florida and Northwestern.

Outside hitter Una Vajagic steadily became one of the Badgers most dynamic players in the starting rotation. The Serbian native totaled 2.71 kills per set, 2.56 digs per set, and 3.07 points per set in her first full season with the Badgers. Vajagic also collected eight double-doubles (kills, digs) in the regular season, including a back-to-back double-doubles in her first two collegiate matches against Kansas and Texas. The 6-foot outside hitter also chipped in with 18 service aces for UW.

Senior Carter Booth claims her fourth All-Region honor and third with the Badgers. In all four years, she has been a First Team honoree, including Freshman of the Year when she was with Minnesota. In the regular season, Booth led the Badgers and ranked 5th in the NCAA with a .436 hitting percentage. She added 2.02 kills per set, 1.24 blocks per set and 2.70 points per set. Booth totaled eight matches where she didn’t have a hitting error, including a season best 11 kills on 15 swings with no errors. Defensively, Booth achieved a season best 10.0 blocks at Michigan St. on Nov. 15.

Also joining Booth as a four-time AVCA All-Region recipient is outside hitter Mimi Colyer. She also repeats as All-Region Player of the Year. As a freshman Colyer was named the Pacific North Region Freshman of the Year at Oregon, and in 2024, she was named the Northwest Region Player of the Year. In just one season with the Badgers, Colyer has already broken and is on pace to break several more single-season offensive program records. The California native reached double-figure kills in every match but one this season, including nine matches with 20 or more kills. Colyer averaged 5.32 kills per set, 5.93 points per set, 2.20 digs per set, and added 0.69 blocks per set. She also hit .334 in the regular season. Colyer totaled seven double-doubles including a season-best 25 kill, 18 dig performance at Washington on Oct. 24.

Head coach Kelly Sheffield earned his sixth All-Region Coach of the Year honor after leading the Badgers to a 24-4 regular season record, and a 17-3 Big Ten record for second place. Sheffield replaced nearly his entire starting rotation, including four All-Americans from a season ago.

Wisconsin is 1-of-55 teams assigned to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) North Region, joining just Michigan State as a Big Ten school representing the North Region.

FULL LIST OF AVCA ALL-REGION RECIPIENTS

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Women’s Volleyball Puts Three on AVCA All-East Coast Region Team – Penn State

Published

37 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Three Penn State women’s volleyball players earned All-East Coast Region honors as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Tuesday. Gillian Grimes, Kennedy Martin, and Maggie Mendelson all received the award after helping the Nittany Lions qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the 45^th-consecutive season.

Grimes earned All-East Coast Region for the first time following her final collegiate season. The senior was a much-needed consistent player and presence as a team captain for Penn State. She was named the Big Ten Libero of the Year thanks to her impressive passing numbers. Defensively, she finished with 441 digs (3.64/set) and contributed offensively with her 30 aces. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Grimes now turns her attention to the pro ranks as she will play for the San Diego Mojo in Major League Volleyball.

Martin put together one of the greatest statistical seasons in program history, etching her name in the Penn State record books. She set program records for the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) in kills (634), kills/set (5.42), points (728) and points/set (6.22). She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in her first season in the conference and now adds All-East Coast Region recognition to the two All-Southeast Region awards she won at Florida.

Mendelson closes her collegiate volleyball career with her first All-East Coast Region award. The middle blocker hit .363 with 2.19 kills/set and tallied 91 blocks to lead the team’s defense at the net. She had 10 matches with double-digit kills, nine of which came during Big Ten play. She hit .500 or better in five of those matches.

Penn State has now had a middle blocker make an all-region team in back-to-back seasons as Mendelson joins Taylor Trammell (2024) as the recipients of the award. Grimes is the first Penn State libero to make all-region since Jenna Hampton in 2021, while Martin is the team’s first right side to earn the honor since 2021.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.

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Ugolini Named AVCA All-Region – America East Conference

Published

54 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

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<br /> Ugolini Named AVCA All-Region – America East Conference <br />

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BOSTON – After claiming America East Player of the Year honors, Bryant’s Arianna Ugolini has been named Honorable Mention All-Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Ugolini led the conference in kills (419), service aces (43), and points (476.5) while helping Bryant claim a share of its first-ever regular season title. She is Bryant’s first-ever Player of the Year in volleyball and was a First-Team All-Conference selection.

ABOUT AMERICA EAST

Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.

– America East Conference – Where Champions Rise –

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Behrend sprinter wins at Houghton December Classic

Published

1 hour ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ERIE, Pa. — Penn State Behrend runner Carter Tobin won the 60-meter dash at the Houghton December Classic. He finished in 6.85 seconds — a qualifying time for the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference.

Tobin, a sophomore from Irwin, placed third in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 22.22 seconds.

Lee Qualk, a freshman from Coal Center, placed third in the triple jump, clearing a distance of 7.13 meters.

In the women’s events, the 4×200 relay team — Anna Buck, Caroline McDevitt, Abigail Falk and Ruby Lormejuste — placed third, finishing in 1:54.41.

Behrend’s basketball, swimming and diving and wrestling teams also were in action last week. Here are the scores and highlights:

Men’s basketball

Penn State Behrend 69, Carlow 53
Penn State Behrend 75, La Roche 71

Jacob Dunkle, a freshman from Washington, scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds against La Roche. Dolan Waldo, a senior from Pittsburgh, scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Women’s basketball

Penn State Behrend 94, Carlow 38
La Roche 68, Penn State Behrend 64

Alaina Fabin, a sophomore from Indiana, scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against La Roche. Emma Marsteller, a sophomore from Sandy Lake, scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Carlow.

Men’s swimming and diving

Penn State Behrend 129, Allegheny 70

Behrend’s 200 medley relay team — Nevin Rutherford, Evan Tritt, Nicolin Pierce and Michael Kali — won, finishing in 1:45.52. Isaac Stoeckle, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, won the 1,000 freestyle, finishing in 10:57.86. Kyle Malec, a freshman from Edinboro, won the diving events; he earned 198.35 points in the 1-meter event and 195.25 points in the 3-meter event.

Women’s swimming and diving

Penn State Behrend 154, Allegheny 106

Kaitlyn True, a freshman from Denton, Texas, won the 100 freestyle (59.42) and the 100 breaststroke (1:14.31). Izzy Sheridan, a senior from Orefield, won the 100 backstroke, finishing in 1:07.79. Rylee Ondrejko, a freshman from Washington, won the diving events; she earned 139.80 points in the 1-meter event and 150.20 points in the 3-meter event.

Wrestling

Fifth (of 14 teams) at the RIT Invitational

Mason Savitz, a freshman from Corry, won the 165-pound weight class. He finished the tournament 5-0, with one fall and two major decisions.

Scores, updates and video links for Penn State Behrend athletics are posted at psblions.com.

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Big West Trio Lands on AVCA All-Pacific Region Listings

Published

1 hour ago

December 10, 2025

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Representing three member-institutions, a trio of Big West women’s volleyball players have been announced as American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA) All-Pacific Region honorable mention student-athletes.

Big West Player of the Year Jade Light helped UC Davis to their first regular-season Big West title while pacing the Aggies and the conference in both kills (4.01) and points (4.52) per set in 2025. Posting consecutive seasons of 400+ kills, the outside hitter from Sloughhouse, Calif., has tallied 1,162 career strikes and is just the 13th UC Davis player to reach the four-digit plateau. Light stands as the first – and only – Aggie to earn Player of the Year honors in UC Davis’ last season of league membership while also earning first-team All-Big West distinction.

UC Santa Barbara redshirt sophomore Eva Travis claimed a first career All-Region distinction after trailing only Light in both kills (3.93) and points (4.42) per set to lead the Gauchos back to The Big West postseason finishing the year tied for second in the conference standings. The product of Aliso Viejo, Calif., finished the year with six 20-point games reaching double-figures in all 28 matches played and started, earning All-Big West second-team honors.

Finally, Cal Poly middle blocker and Big West Championship Most Valuable Player Chloe Leluge made the listings after a stellar sophomore campaign. The powerful net play provided by the Bend, Ore., native has resulted in 126 total blocks, or 1.02 per set, along with 2.30 kills per set while sporting an efficient .383 hitting percentage for The Big West champions. Leluge and the Mustangs upended No. 5 seed BYU and knocked off host and No. 4 seed USC last weekend to advance to the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Cal Poly is set to square off with No. 1 seed Kentucky in the Round of 16 on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. PT.

Last year, the AVCA instituted a new 10-region alignment based upon state lines rather than conference alignment. In the new configuration, the Pacific Region consists of the states of California, Hawai’i and Arizona.

Regardless of various regional changes throughout the years, The Big West has enjoyed at least one All-Region/All-District selection every season, since 1986. Dating back to the 2015 season, this marks the ninth set of All-Region listings to include at least three Big West performers.