CAA Indoor Track & Field Weekly Awards – Dec. 9

12/9/2025 1:00:00 PM

Ben Kane

RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 9, 2025) –North Carolina A&T junior Hayleigh Bryant, Northeastern senior Leila Curtis N.C. A&T senior Dyimond Walker, and Hampton sophomore Joseph Ernest earned CAA indoor track and field weekly award recognition for their performances last weekend.

 

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Hayleigh Bryant, N.C. A&T

Junior | Sprinter | Greensboro, N.C. / Northwest Guilford

Bryant took first place in the 200m at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off. The junior’s 24.03 time marked an indoor personal record and was the eighth-fastest time in the country. Bryant also helped the Aggies produce a CAA-best 3:45.85 race in the 4x400m relay.

   

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Leila Curtis, Northeastern

Senior | Throws | Dix Hills, N.Y. / Half Hollows Hills High School East

Curtis placed second at the HBCU and Ivy Challenge with her performance in the shot put. With a mark of 15.24m, the Dix Hills, N.Y. resident has the ninth longest throw in the nation, and second best in Northeastern history.

MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Dyimond Walker, N.C. A&T

Senior | Mid-Distance | Kansas City, Mo. / Hogan Preparatory Academy

Walker led a strong Aggies grouping in the 800m hurdles, winning the race and becoming one of five A&T athletes to finish in the top-10. With a time of 1:52.68, the senior ranked first in the CAA and ninth nationally. Walker also joined the men’s 4×400-meter relay, finishing at 3:12.29.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Joseph Ernest, Hampton

Sophomore | Jumps | Sterling, Va. / Potomac Falls HS

Ernest won the triple jump at the Penn Open with a personal best finish. The sophomore jumper earned a mark of 15.38m (50” 5.5′), which was his first over 15m indoors and is the sixth best in the nation currently.

2025-26  CAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

 

Women’s Track Athlete of the Week

Dec. 9:  Hayleigh Bryant, N.C. A&T

Women’s Field Athlete of the Week

Dec. 9: Leila Curtis, Northeastern

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week

Dec.9 : Dyimond Walker, N.C. A&T

Men’s Field Athlete of the Week

Dec. 9: Joseph Ernest, Hampton

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Women’s Volleyball | 12/9/2025 11:03:00 AM

Korrin Burns (Clarion, Pa/Clarion Area) was named to 2025 AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) All-Region honorable mention. 

Burns is only the second player in Saint Francis University’s women’s volleyball history to achieve this award in program history. Madi Tyus received this in 2021 after being named NEC Player of the Year. 

Burns earned this achievement after being named NEC Player of the Year and All-NEC first team after finishing her season with 588 kills, 254 digs, 40 blocks, and 28 service aces. The senior outside hitter played all 27 matches and 103 sets. Burns leads the NEC in kills per set (5.26) and points per set (5.72). She is currently third in total kills, fourth in kills per set, total points, and fifth in points per set in the nation. This is the third year in a row that she earned All-NEC first team and dating back to 2010, she is the first women’s volleyball player to earn this distinction three years in a row.  

Throughout the season, Burns has registered 10 Prime Performers and eight NEC/Molten Player of the Week awards. She recorded 15 games with 20+ kills including a 30-kill home match against Siena that broke the home program record. Burns also has 12 games where she dug up a double-double in kills and digs.  

Burns surpassed the 1,000-kill milestone earlier this season and continued to add program records to her resume. She is sitting in first place in Red Flash history with the most kills in a single season with 542. She passes Roosevelt, who previously held the record in 2006 with 486 kills. Burns also sits in second place with the most total attacks in a season with 1,209. She passed Roosevelt who held the third spot with 1,134 (2004) and Miller with 1,159 (2009). Burns sits only 85 attacks away from taking another first-place program record. Overall, in her career, she is only 20 kills away from being the all-time leader in kills in program history. Kristin Buter (2005-08) currently holds the most kills in a career with 1,427. 

Reading, Pa. (Dec. 9, 2025) – Alvernia Women’s Track and Field sophomore Britney Anyia and Men’s Wrestling sophomore Hayden McLellan were named Alvernia Athletes of the week for their performances during the week of December 1 – December  7, 2025. This week’s Alvernia Athletes of the Week are presented by MailShark.

Britney Anyia had two first place finishes at the Alvernia Rust Buster on Saturday. Anyia took first place in both the high jump and long jump on Saturday. She was also a member of Alvernia’s second place finishing 4x200m relay team. Anyia took first place in the high jump with a mark of 1.55m and took first in the long jump with a mark of 5.18m. Both marks were third best in the MAC this weekend

Hayden McLellan took first place at 184 pounds this weekend at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational. McLellan started out with back-to-back 15-0 technical fall wins to move into the quarterfinals. He then secured a fall in 2:19 over NYU’s Dmitry Derbedyenyev in the quarters and followed that with a 5-2 decision over NYU’s Justin Mayes in the semis. McLellan secured a first place finish with a 2:42 fall over Springfield’s Matthew Hoxie in the championship bout. 

Women’s Track and Field is off until the Alvernia Winter Invitational on Saturday, January 17th. Men’s Wrestling is back in action this Saturday at the King’s College Duals.

This is the first such honor in all three of their careers. It is the first time three Tar Heels earn All-Region honors since 2021 and the first time multiple Tar Heels are on the All-Region team since 2016.

Hampton earns the honor after being named to the AVCA Player Of The Year Watchlist. Hampton led the team in points (404.5), points per set (3.86), kills (399) and kills per set (3.50). Hampton was also named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after sweeping Duke in the beginning of October. Hampton totaled 28 kills on a .509 hitting percentage with only one error. Her 16-kill, zero-error performance against Duke saw her hit a career-best .615 guiding the Tar Heels to a sweep on the road.

May has been the definition of reliable for Carolina and closes her career out with All-Region honors. She played in every set (445) of every single match (118) over her four-year career. May sits in third all-time in program history with 1,622 digs.

Thorpe had an impressive 2025 campaign racking up a single season career-high in kills (318), kills per set (2.72), blocks (90), blocks per set (0.77), digs (76), digs per set (0.65), assists (13), points (365.5), and points per set (3.12).

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the first time in the last decade, seven Sun Belt volleyball student-athletes earned All-Region recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), the organization announced Tuesday. This marks the third consecutive year the league has earned at least five selections with a league-best five First Team honors this year.
 
Coastal Carolina’s Jalyn Stout earned the third honor of her career as she was named to the midseason Player of the Year Watchlist. Georgia Southern’s Reagan Barth and App State’s Maya Winterhoff each earn the honor for a second consecutive year.
 
Sun Belt Player of the Year Kennedy Louisell from James Madison also earned First Team All-Region honors after being named the AVCA Division I Player of the Week in late October. Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Daedrianna Cail from Arkansas State earned First Team honors as well. Sun Belt Libero of the Year Marta Lazzarin from Georgia State earned Honorable Mention honors as the league earned three athletes recognized in the Southeast Region.
 
Fourteen student-athletes from each of the 10 AVCA regions earned All-Region Team honors with 6-8 honorable mention selections. The 213 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 109 different schools.
 
From the All-Region selections, the All-American Teams will be determined and announced.
 
2025 AVCA Division I Volleyball All-Region Selections
 
Central Region
First Team | Daedrianna Cail, Arkansas State | Sr. | MB
 
East Coast Region
First Team | Kennedy Louisell, James Madison | Jr. | OH
First Team | Maya Winterhoff, App State | SR. | MB
 
Southeast Region
First Team | Reagan Barth, Georgia Southern | Jr. | OH
First Team | Jalyn Stout, Coastal Carolina | Jr. | S
Honorable Mention | Marta Lazzarin, Georgia State | Fr. | L
 
Southwest Region
Honorable Mention | Jade Defraeye, Texas State | Sr. | MB

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its annual all-region selections on Tuesday morning with three Panthers earning All-Central Region recognition , while head coach Bobbi Petersen was named the region’s Coach of the Year.

Outside hitter Cassidy Hartman was named to the All-Region Team, while fellow outside hitter Lily Dykstra and defensive specialist/libero Jadyn Petersen earned honorable mention status. The trio helped lead the Panthers to a 26-6 record overall, 16-0 mark in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play and the program’s fourth consecutive MVC regular season and tournament titles, as well as a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This is Hartman’s second All-Region honor and the first for both Dykstra and Petersen.

UNI volleyball has produced 50 AVCA All-Region selections in program history, including 41 under Coach Petersen. This year also marks the sixth time in the last nine seasons, as well as the third year in a row the Panthers have had at least three all-region honorees (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025).

CASSIDY HARTMAN – AVCA All-Region

The 2025 MVC Player of the Year and a First Team All-MVC selection, Hartman led the league with 4.64 kills per set, along with 2.74 digs per frame, 58 total blocks and 19 aces during her junior season. Starting all 32 matches during her junior season, Hartman recorded ten or more kills in 27 matches this season, as well as six matches with 20+ kills, including a career-high 26 terminations at Southern Illinois in the regular season. She also posted 14 double-double outings. A three-time MVC Player of the Week this season and a member of the Capital Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team back in September, Hartman earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention honors in 2024.

LILY DYKSTRA – AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention

A First Team All-MVC selection, Dykstra ranked second on the Panther roster with four kills per set, along with 1.7 digs per frame, 21 service aces and 50 total blocks. The junior from Urbandale, Iowa notably notched a career-high 25 kills in UNI’s NCAA Tournament opener against Utah, one of four matches this season with 20+ kills recorded. Dykstra tallied at least eight terminations in all but two matches in 2025, as well as 19 matches with ten or more kills and the first two double-doubles of her career. She was named the MVC Player of the Week on Nov. 10 and was named to the all-tournament teams for the Bluejay Invitational and Capital Credit Union Classic in September.

JADYN PETERSEN – AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention

After redshirting the 2024 season, Petersen led Northern Iowa’s backrow defense with 4.31 digs per set and a team-high 26 aces after earning Second Team All-MVC honors this year. She recorded a career-high four aces against Washington back in September and also posted 27 digs against UIC in November. A two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week award winner, she also posted a .957 reception percentage on the year.

BOBBI PETERSEN – Region Coach of the Year

Completing her 26th season at the helm of the Panther program, Petersen picks up her fifth AVCA Region Coach of the Year honor after earning her record tenth MVC Coach of the Year honor in 2025. Petersen helped lead UNI to its 22nd season under her leadership with 20+ wins, her 13th MVC regular season and tournament championships and third straight undefeated conference season. Additionally, she passed former Panther softball coach Meredith Bakely with her 633rd career win during the MVC Tournament, becoming the winningest women’s coach in UNI history for any sport.

2025 AVCA ALL-CENTRAL REGION AWARDS

• Player of the Year: Shaylee Myers (Kansas State)
• Freshman of the Year: Jovanna Zelenovic (Kansas)
• Coach of the Year: Bobbi Petersen (UNI)

2025 AVCA ALL-CENTRAL REGION FIRST TEAM

• Caylen Alexander (Missouri)
• Claire Ammeraal (Iowa)
• Daedrianna Cail (Arkansas State)
• Jill Hanson (Tulsa)
• Cassidy Hartman (UNI)
• Brayden Hipp (Tulsa)
• Ava LeGrand (Kansas State)
• Shaylee Myers (Kansas State)
• Reese Ptacek (Kansas)
• Jurnee Robinson (LSU)
• Maya Sands (Missouri)
• Alexis Shelton (Oklahoma)
• Rachel Van Gorp (Iowa State)
• Jovanna Zelenovic (Kansas)

2025 AVCA ALL-CENTRAL REGION HONORABLE MENTION

• Tyrah Ariail (Missouri)
• Morgan Brandt (Iowa State)
• Kelli Jo Burgess (Oklahoma)
• Lily Dykstra (UNI)
• Kyra McKelvey (Southeastern Louisiana)
• Jadyn Petersen (UNI)
• Rhian Swanson (Kansas)

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.