CONWAY, Ark. – The awards keep rolling in for the Central Arkansas track and field teams, as two Bears earned top performer of the year honors in the ASUN. Jeremiah Boudreaux had a dynamite first collegiate season, earning ASUN’s Most Outstanding Freshman and Track Performer of the Year, and Joia Perry dominated her discipline en route to the Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Year.
 
Boudreaux was incredible his first season in Purple and Gray, competing in sprints and the high jump. And what a time he had at the ASUN Championships, earning Most Valuable Performer after claiming three golds. He won the 200m with a PR time of 20.95, the 110m hurdles with a 13.98, and was part of the 4×100 squad that won gold with a time of 40.23. He also placed fourth in the high jump, clearing 1.94m. And over the course of the spring, he took home six other gold medals at many other meets, making quite the impact in year one.
 
“Jeremiah has quickly become a leader and captain on our team. His work ethic on and off the track is second to none. I’m excited to watch what all he accomplishes through the next few years. He is a very special member of our team.” – Head coach Josey Weaver
 
Speaking of impacts, the year Perry had was nothing short of amazing. She rewrote the throws portion of Central Arkansas’ record books, oftentimes winning meets by 10-plus meters, depending on the throw. Her hammer throws are the stuff of legend, which culminated in a gold medal at the ASUN Championships, with a record 62.89m toss setting both the UCA and ASUN records. She also placed fourth in the discus with a distance of 43.28m, just under her personal best. Her hammer throws placed first in all but one meet this spring, and she cleared 60m three times across the season.
 
“From the time she left her freshman year till now she has constantly been working on improving herself. That’s what the sport of track and field is all about, improvement of yourself and not getting caught up in others. Joia has worked hard at a lot of factors that have contributed to her success this year. The best is yet to come for her.” – Head coach Josey Weaver
 
The pair lead a talented group of athletes to College Station, where the Bears will compete in the NCAA First Round this week.
 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 28, 2025) – The eighth-ranked U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team qualified for the 2026 ParaVolley World Championship with a silver-medal finish Wednesday at the 2025 ParaVolley Pan America Zonal Championship. In an outstanding match by both teams in the final, fifth-ranked Brazil won the gold with a 3-2 (25-9, 19-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-18) win.

James Stuck was named Best Receiver for the tournament. Zach Upp earned Best Attacker honors; he also led all competitors with 17 aces, including 11 in the final.

Head coach Greg Walker shared his emotions about the progress of the U.S. Men and the athletes’ performances against Brazil, one of the best teams in the world over the last two quads.

“I think the biggest shift for us has been seen since the Last Chance Qualifier (for the 2024 Paralympics),” he said. “This is the best team that I’ve had with this USA squad. We brought some new guys in, and they’ve made such a contributing cultural shift for us. Everybody has just been really selfless in playing for each other versus playing for individuals. That’s helping us get where went to be.”

After being dominated by Brazil in the opening set, the U.S. regrouped to take the next two, bolstered by a crowd of fans from the USA Volleyball Open National Championship. Brazil won set four, and the fifth was a nailbiter, with Brazil only pulling away at the end.

Upp was on fire throughout the match, finishing with 30 points on 19 kills and 11 aces. Overall, he scored 95 points in the tournament, 30 more than Canada’s Douglas Learoyd in second place.

Eric Duda scored 13, collecting six kills, two aces and five blocks. Rod Green and Stuck each scored 12; Green had six kills, four blocks and two aces, and Stuck had 11 kills and one block. Ben Aman had two kills and two blocks. Alex Wilson had two kills and a block, and setter John Kremer and Nick Dadgostar were outstanding at setter and libero, respectively.

Brazil led in kills (48-46) and blocks (15-13), but the U.S. led in aces (15-7).

Next up for the U.S. Men is the Dutch Tournament, July 3-6, in the Netherlands. The ParaVolley World Cup will be hosted in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Oct. 12-18.

Full stats (PDF)

Men’s Roster

No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, St. Louis, Mo.)
3 Nick Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sidney, Neb.)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla.)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
6 Alex Wilson (OPP/OH, 6-6, Saugerties, N.Y.)
7 Robbie Gaupp(OH, 6-4, Gatesville, Texas)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa.)
10 Robbie Onusko(OH, 6-0, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La.)
14 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga.)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill.)
20 Jason Roberts (OH, 6-3, Moncks Corner, S.C.)
22 Brett Parks(OH, 6-0, Miami, Fla.)
23 Will Curtis (S/L, 6-0, Cumberland, Maine)

Schedule/Results

May 24
Men: USA def. Argentina, 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-19)

May 25
Men: USA def. Canada, 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 33-35, 25-16)

May 26
Men: Brazil def. USA, 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-23)

May 27
Men’s Semifinal: USA def. Canada, 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12)

May 28
Men’s gold medal match: Brazil def. USA, 3-2 (25-9, 19-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-18)

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Not finished yet. NM State returns to the track with a select group of student-athletes invited to the NCAA West First Round, hosted by Texas A&M at E.B. Cushing Stadium. Split into an East and West region, the NCAA First Rounds bring top athletes together to compete for a spot in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held in Eugene, Ore., at Hayward Field. First round action for the Aggies begins on Thursday, May 29, with quarterfinal action set for Saturday, May 31.
 
The Starting Line

• NM State continues postseason competition at the NCAA West First Round, hosted by Texas A&M, with a chance to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Fans can follow along with the action through links provided at nmstatesports.com.
• Should an Aggie advance beyond this weekend’s meet, it would mark the first NM State student-athlete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Kayli Farmer competed in the javelin in 2017.
• The Aggies find themselves among elite competition from the western half of the United States with over 100 schools set to compete including Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, TCU, UCLA, Utah, USC and host Texas A&M, among others.
• As a team, the Crimson & White will compete in four events: 200m, 400m, 1500m and the Discus.

 
Class of CUSA

• Of the student-athletes to make the trek to the NCAA West First Round, each Aggie ranks among the best in Conference USA this season, including:

 
Rachel O’Brien – 1500m (2^nd), 800m (4^th)
Alesha Lane – Shot put (3^rd), Discus (3^rd)
Jhana Downie – 100m (11^th), 200m (4^th), 400m (11^th)
Sahara Tasker – 400m (3^rd), 200m (9^th)
 
Aggie Accolades

• Each of these student-athletes currently rank inside the top 10 marks in program history, including:

 
Jhana Downie – 100m, 200m, 400m, 4×100*, 4×400
Alesha Lane – Discus*, Shot put*
Rachel O’Brien – 800m*, 1500m*
Sahara Tasker – 200m*, 400m*
 
* – Indicates 2025 season addition
 
Last Time Out | CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships | .25-26.25

• Junior Alesha Lane led the way for the Aggies at the 2025 CUSA Outdoor Championships, posting a pair of bronze-medal finishes in both the shot put and the discus. Her discus mark of 53.12m (174-3″) not only set a personal best for the Casper, Wyo., native but it also represented a new school record – surpassing her previous best school-record mark of 51.87m set earlier this season.
• First year-Aggie and Allen, Texas, native Sahara Tasker was the lone underclassman to earn an individual medal for the Aggies in Murfreesboro, posting a personal best time of 53.70 seconds – the sixth-fastest time in NM State history.
• Senior Jhana Downie helped the Crimson & White take third place in the 4x100m, combining with Marlee Cavitt, Sierra Brewer and Jaylah McDonnell to post a time of 45.08. Individually, Downie recorded a time of 23.84 in the 200m finals. The sprinter from Sunrise, Fla., holds a season best mark of 23.39, with a personal best mark of 22.93 (+2.3 m/s) – a school record.  
• Rachel O’Brien closed her first outdoor season with the Aggies in the 1500m, taking first overall in preliminary action while taking fourth with a time of 4:23.40 in finals. O’Brien holds personal bests of 2:06.54 in the 800m (second-fastest in program history), and a time of 4:14.86 in the 1500m (fastest in program history).

 

For complete coverage of NM State Track & Field, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of Aggie athletics – and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateXCTF), Instagram (@NMStateXCTF), and like us on Facebook (NMStateTrackXC).

++NM State++

HONOLULU — The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team unveiled a 29-match 2025 regular-season schedule highlighted by 17 home games at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
Robyn Ah Mow enters her eighth season and ninth year overall as UH head coach with a schedule that features three nonconference tournaments leading into the program’s final season in the Big West.
 
Coming off a fifth straight Big West title, the Rainbow Wahine will have matchups with three teams that reached the 2024 NCAA Tournament and two more that competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The nonconference schedule also includes a trip to Stanford to join the host Cardinal, UCLA and Texas State in a three-day tournament.
 
UH will open the 2025 season with an eight-match homestand starting with the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic set for Aug. 29-31. The ‘Bows take on Marquette, which reached the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16 last season, on opening night. They’ll also face Utah State and San Diego in the three-day event. Utah State tied for second in the Mountain West regular-season standings last season. San Diego tied for second in the West Coast Conference and will visit Mānoa for the third consecutive season.
 
The ‘Bows then host the OUTRIGGER Invitational Sept. 3 to 7 with matches against San Jose State, Utah Valley and St. John’s. San Jose State placed second in the Mountain West last year and Utah Valley and St. John’s both posted 20-win seasons on their way to the NIVC.
 
UH caps its season-opening homestand with a two-match series with Portland of the WCC on Sept. 11 and 12.
 
The ‘Bows’ first road trip will take them to Palo Alto, Calif., and they’ll open the weekend on Sept. 19 by taking on Stanford, which reached the NCAA Regional Finals last season and ended 2024 at No. 5 in the AVCA coaches poll. The ‘Bows then renew their long-standing rivalry with UCLA on Sept. 20 in the 79^th meeting between the programs. They’ll close out the tournament and the nonconference portion of the season against defending Sun Belt champion Texas State.
 
UH opens the Big West season at home with matches against UC Riverside and UC Davis on Sept. 26 and 27. After a trip to CSU Bakersfield and CSUN (Oct. 3 and 4), the ‘Bows face Cal Poly on Oct. 10 in a rematch of last year’s Big West Championship final and take on UC Santa Barbara in a Sunday match on Oct. 12.
 
The ‘Bows play five of their next six matches on the road, with a home game against Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 25 breaking up two road trips. They open November back home against CSUN and CSU Bakersfield (Nov. 7 and 9) then head back on the road for matches at UCSB and Cal Poly. UH returns home for the final week of the regular season and faces UC San Diego on Nov. 21 and Long Beach State on Senior Night on Nov. 22.
 
The Big West Championship is set for Nov. 26 to 29 in Long Beach, Calif., with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The ‘Bows won their fifth consecutive Big West crown, and second straight tournament title, last year to extend their streak of NCAA berths to 31 with the program’s 42nd appearance overall.
 
Season-ticket renewals will be sent out the first week of June and new season-ticket sales will begin on July 21. More information on ticket sales will be announced in the coming weeks.
 

#HawaiiWVB

In an atmosphere of pride and emotion, Rector Gerasimos Siasos honoured today, in the Old Senate Hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the students who were part of Greece Women’s National Water Polo Team—the one that won first place at the FINA Women’s Water Polo World Cup held in China. The students honoured were: Foivi Angelidi (School of Dentistry), Marina Kotsioni (School of Physical Education and Sport Science), Christina Siouti (School of Medicine), Vasiliki Plevritou (School of Dentistry), and Sofia Tornarou (School of Medicine).

The Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, gave a warm welcome to the athletes and presented them with commendations in recognition of their effort and sporting ethos. Also in attendance at the awards ceremony were the Chair of the NKUA’s Committee on Sport and Physical Activity and Member of the NKUA’s Administration Council, Professor Athanasia Smirniotou, the Dean of the School of Physical Education and Sport Science, Professor Gerasimos Terzis, the Chair of the NKUA’s School of Medicine, Professor Nikolaos Arkadopoulos, and the member of the scientific commission of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Associate Professor at the NKUA’s School of Medicine, Giorgos Marinos.

‘Your achievement proves that academic excellence can harmoniously coexist with elite-level sport. You set an inspiring example for future generations and make us all very proud. Our University is with you every step of the way to support you with your dreams’, said the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos.

The students, for their part, thanked the University administration for the honour and support, emphasizing that the accomplishment belongs to the entire team and everyone who backs them daily as they strive to achieve academic goals and compete for championships, all while balancing their studies with the demands of high-level sport.

The ceremony concluded with wishes for continued success, both in academic and athletic pursuits.

Photos: Dimitris Konstantinidis

Pisgah girls track and field head coach Gus Hembree did not have an official assistant coach specializing in throwing events for the 2025 season.

But he will have to find a replacement for his program’s “unofficial” throwing coach now that state-medal winning thrower Ashton Childress is off to compete at the collegiate level.

“Ashton’s basically been the coach for the girls on the throwing side,” Hembree said. “She’s been a great leader. She really helped my younger throwers, took them under her wings and helped them all while she was having a phenomenal season herself.”

Childress recently signed scholarship papers with Berry College of Mount Berry, Georgia during a signing ceremony at Pisgah High School.

Childress will compete in the javelin, shot put, discus and hammer throw at Berry, which contacted her back in the fall. Childress received a letter from Berry noting that they had seen her sectional and state meet marks from her junior season and wanted her to join its track and field program.

“I was really surprised,” Childress said.

Childress transferred to Pisgah from Fyffe in the early part of her freshman year and joined the junior varsity basketball team. Hembree convinced her to give track and field at Pisgah a try. Childress ultimately jumped into the sport wholeheartedly and began to attend camps and train with former Hungarian Olympian and Auburn University thrower Gabor Mate. 

“At first, it was a lot of form work,” Childress said. “As I learned more, I’ve really progressed in my technique and speed.” 

Childress won Jackson County Track and Field titles in the javelin and discus during her junior year and won a sectional title in the javelin before posting a fifth-place state finish in the javelin (96 feet) during the 2024 AHSAA Championships’ Class 2A Girls Track and Field Meet. 

This past season, Childress won the Jackson County Girls javelin county title again and won Class 2A Girls Section 3 championships in the javelin, discus and shot put before medaling at state with third-place state finishes in the javelin (107 feet, one inch) and the discus (99-6).

Childress’ stellar season track and field came on the heels of one in basketball in which she averaged 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots per game while helping Pisgah win the Class 2A Girls Basketball state championship. Childress was selected to the Class 2A Girls All-State Tournament Team after contributing 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the No. 7-ranked Eagles’ 84-72 state-title game win over top-ranked Decatur Heritage.

Childress, who had more than 800 points and 800 rebounds during her two seasons at Pisgah, had basketball offers from Snead State and Gadsden State but chose Berry in part because it had a program for her major, wildlife sciences, and for a love for throwing.

“She had (basketball) opportunities, but I always tell them find what will make them happy, and she’s done that and I couldn’t be prouder for her,” said Pisgah head coach Carey Ellison. 

Hembree said Childress will fit well at Berry just as she did at Pisgah.

“Berry is getting a phenomenal ‘track-a-lete,’ but more importantly, getting a great person,” Hembree said. “She will fit in really well with their program and will be a big asset to them.”