HICKORY, N.C. – Averie Dale, Kayli Cleaver, and Hadley Prince have each been named to the AVCA Honorable Mention All-America Team. 

This marks the second consecutive All-America honor for Cleaver and Dale, while Prince is making her first appearance on the team. There have now been seven individuals in Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball history who have been named to an All-American team. 

Averie Dale tied the school record with a .399 hitting percentage this season, totaling 245 kills, 31 service aces, and 31 assists. She finished tied for first in the conference and first on the team with a total of 107 blocks, and added 82 digs. 

Kayli Cleaver was the Bears’ go to on the outside, leading the team with 363 kills on a .266 hitting percentage. She totaled double-digit kills in 20 of her 31 matches played and set a new career high with 23 kills in a four set victory at Newberry. 

Hadley Prince is this year’s South Atlantic Conference leader and ranks seventh all-time in Lenoir-Rhyne history with 547 digs. She had double-digit digs in every match this year and had a Lenoir-Rhyne career high of 32 on November 11th at Coker. Her 39 service aces led the team while her 115 assists were fourth. 

 

LAS VEGAS — Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers has been named the 36th recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy® it was announced at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas.

The Campbell Trophy^® ranks as one of college football’s most sought-after and competitive awards, recognizing an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Awarded since 1990, the 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy comes with a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. Stowers was selected from a list of 16 members of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®.

The Denton, Texas, native becomes the first Campbell Trophy^® winner from Vanderbilt. He is the school’s fifth NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining Wade Butcher (1961), Douglas Martin (1974), Andrew McCarroll (1989) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (2002).

Stowers received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State in 2024, posting a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average, and he completed his master’s degree in finance from Vanderbilt in the spring. A member of the 2024-25 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll, he is currently pursuing a master’s of legal studies degree this fall.

During his time at Vanderbilt, Stowers has volunteered at the multiple events at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and has supported the facility’s Dancing Dores fundraiser while also participating in Social Impact Day with the Pencil Foundation and Metro Nashville Public Schools and assisting at the department’s annual SAAC Holiday Party.

Elected a team captain prior to the start of this season, Stowers has contributed to the Commodores’ 10-2 regular season record with team highs of 62 catches for 769 yards while scoring four touchdowns. He leads all tight ends nationally in receiving yards and is second at the position in the country in receptions after hauling in multiple passes in every contest this season.

Stowers has led the Dores in catches a team-best six times and in receiving yards on four occasions, as he needs only six yards to record the most by a Vandy tight end since the 1996 campaign. He finished with a career-high 146 yards—the second most by a Power 4 tight end this season—on seven catches at No. 20/19 Texas, following up with a career-best 12 receptions for 122 yards in a Homecoming defeat of Auburn.

Stowers is a finalist for the John Mackey Award and is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award too. He was a semifinalist for the 2025 Lombardi Award™ as well.

Following tonight’s NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, Stowers will be recognized as the 2025 Campbell Trophy^® recipient at several other prestigious events. On Friday, Dec. 12, he will be recognized during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN. He will be featured on CBS during halftime of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, and will be introduced on the field during the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Stowers and the Commodores will face Iowa—which was 23rd in the final College Football Playoff rankings—on Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. CT in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Purdue Fort Wayne Volleyball has lost one of their own after 2022 graduate Madi Wurster died in a car accident early Monday morning.

Wurster played volleyball at Purdue Fort Wayne from 2018 to 2022 and graduated from South Adams High School, where she played volleyball and basketball.

Steve Florio, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Purdue Fort Wayne, said that after receiving tragic news like this, everyone is still in shock.

“It almost didn’t seem real,” he said. “That’s the feedback I’m getting from a lot of our alumni, I’ve been talking with, obviously, very sad and heartbreaking.”

Florio says he has been talking with a lot of alumni since the accident, and says they describe her as “full of life”, a great hugger, a light to everyone, and so much more.

He says he wants to make sure that alumni and player voices were heard during a time like this, as they were some of the closest people to Madi.

“What they have to say about Madi is that she was a beautiful soul, and the world needed somebody like her,” he said. “She was always there for anybody who needed help. She loved all those around her. A lot of the alumni said she was a big light in this world, a great hugger, a great listener, too, and they’re all right about that.”

He adds that Wurster was very strong in her faith and had a tight friend group while at PFW. She had a really big laugh, and she loved to have a good time.

Florio says this has been a loss for the entire Mastodon family, and that this has brought many together to share stories about who Madi was and remember what she meant to all of them.

Her obituary can be found here.

NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) has announced its Men’s Indoor Track and Field Student-Athletes of the Week, with Illinois Wesleyan senior Evan Lowder earning track honors and Carthage freshman Hayden Rollins receiving field recognition following standout performances during the opening weekend of the indoor season.
 
Track: Evan Lowder, Illinois Wesleyan
Lowder opened the season with a victory in the 400 meters at the Titan Open last Friday in Bloomington. He posted a winning time of 49.34, which converts to 48.57, ranking ninth nationally on the TFRRS list during the opening week of the season. Lowder’s performance was part of a strong team showing as Illinois Wesleyan claimed 12 event victories.
 
Field: Hayden Rollins, Carthage
Rollins turned in an impressive collegiate debut at the Carthage Forever Red Alumni Classic on Saturday. A native of Flower Mound, Texas, Rollins won the pole vault with a mark of 4.75 meters. The effort set a new Carthage record, surpassing the previous standard of 4.70 meters established in 2014. Rollins’ mark currently ranks first in the CCIW and fourth nationally in NCAA Division III.
 

FORT WORTH – The path to a repeat national championship has been set, as TCU beach volleyball head coach Hector Gutierrez released the program’s 2026 spring schedule on Wednesday.
 
The slate features three home tournaments along with a mid-week matchup against Stanford on March 25 in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs are set for two trips in the regular season to the state of Florida, and one a piece to Arizona and California.
 
While official schedules for each tournament have not been set, TCU has potential opponents for each weekend. Of these potential opponents, 11 are coming off an appearance in the 16-team NCAA Championship field in 2025.
 
In addition, TCU could face every other National Semifinalist from last season and could have a National Championship rematch with LMU in April.
 
The Horned Frogs enter the 2026 campaign riding a 12-match winning streak, 60-match home winning streak and with a 42-0 record against teams from the state of Texas.
 
TCU is looking to continue the positive momentum from its incredible 2025 season, which saw the Horned Frogs win the program’s first ever National Championship. In addition, the Frogs claimed the inaugural Big 12 Championship, marking the third consecutive conference crown for the program.
 
The 2025 season was a culmination of sustained success over multiple seasons. Dating back to 2020, TCU is the second-winningest program in collegiate beach volleyball with 174 total wins. This decade, the Horned Frogs are averaging almost 33 wins per season (excluding the COVID-shortened season in 2020).  
 
Here’s a breakdown of TCU’s weekend tournaments. Note that this does not include a March 25 home matchup with Stanford.
 
Canyon Classic // Phoenix, Ariz. // February 19-21
TCU opens its season in The Grand Canyon State on the campus of Grand Canyon University. This marks the Horned Frogs first trip to Phoenix since 2017, when they posted a 3-1 record at the Grand Canyon Beach Tournament.
 
Potential matchups for the Frogs are Big 12 foes Arizona and Arizona State, along with Colorado Mesa, UC Davis and the host institution Grand Canyon. TCU holds a combined series record of 20-12 against the five teams and has undefeated records against Colorado Mesa and UC Davis. Grand Canyon and TCU are the lone teams in the field to compete at the NCAA Championship last season. 
 
All-Time Series Histories: Arizona (2-4), Arizona State (8-3), Colorado Mesa (2-0), Grand Canyon (4-5), UC Davis (4-0)
 
Seminole Beach Bash // Tallahassee, Fla. // February 26-28
The opening season road trip continues for the Horned Frogs as they head to Florida State, the newest member of the Big 12, for the Seminole Beach Bash. TCU last played in Tallahassee in 2022, when it went 4-1 in its second tournament of the season at Florida State.
 
Joining the Frogs and Seminoles in Tallahassee is Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida, South Florida, Tampa and UNC Wilmington, making TCU one of just two programs from outside the state of Florida at the event. 
 
All-Time Series Histories: Florida Atlantic (8-4), Florida Gulf Coast (5-1), Florida State (7-14), North Florida (2-1), South Florida (0-0), Tampa (3-0), UNC Wilmington (3-1)
 
TCU Invitational // Fort Worth, Texas // March 6-7
For the first time in 2026, TCU will return home to host the annual TCU Invitational. The Horned Frogs are 18-1 at the tournament coined the TCU Invitational, and this will mark the sixth such event. 
 

Headed to Fort Worth for the first weekend of March will be Florida Gulf Coast, HCU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. TCU is 34-1 against the three opponents all-time and has never faltered to HCU or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, or any team from the state of Texas.
 
All-Time Series Histories: Florida Gulf Coast (5-1), HCU (15-0), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (14-0)
 
Pompano Tournament // Pompano Beach, Fla. // March 13-17
The Frogs go back on the road for a trip to South Florida to take on the Pompano Tournament hosted by Florida Atlantic. This is the second consecutive year TCU has competed at Pompano Beach, going 6-0 last year at the FAU Beach Invitational.
 
TCU is the lone non-Florida school in the tournament, joining Florida Atlantic, Florida State, South Florida and Tampa. All-time, the Horned Frogs are 18-18 against the field.
 
All-Time Series Histories: Florida Atlantic (8-4), Florida State (7-14), South Florida (0-0), Tampa (3-0)
 
Big 12 Preview // Fort Worth, Texas // March 27-28
After hosting Stanford in a midweek, the Horned Frogs play host to all five other members of the new look Big 12. This tournament gives the entire league an opportunity to face each other prior to the conference tournament the following month.
 
Joining last year’s members Arizona and Arizona State are Boise State, Florida State and South Carolina. TCU holds a 25-24 advantage over the five schools headed to Fort Worth.
 
All-Time Series Histories: Arizona (2-4), Arizona State (8-3), Boise State (2-0), Florida State (7-14), South Carolina (6-3)
 
Center of Effort Challenge // San Luis Obispo, Calif. // April 9-12
For the third straight season, TCU will compete at the Center of Effort Challenge hosted by Cal Poly. The Horned Frogs have posted a 7-5 record over the past three years at the tournament, including a 2-2 mark last season.
 
The loaded field includes Arizona State, Cal, Cal Poly, LMU, Stanford, UCLA and USC. Of these teams, all but one competed in the NCAA Championships last season (Arizona State). In addition, the top-six seeds will all compete at the tournament on the California coast.
 
All-Time Series Histories: Arizona State (8-3), Cal (4-0), Cal Poly (6-4), LMU (4-3), Stanford (5-2), UCLA (3-7), USC (2-10)
 
Fight in the Fort // Fort Worth, Texas // April 16-18
The Horned Frogs close out the regular season by hosting the annual Fight in the Fort. TCU is 28-6 all time at the tournament.
 
This season, the field features North Florida, Stephen F. Austin and Tarleton State. TCU is 5-1 all-time against the three teams, with an unblemished record against Stephen F. Austin and Tarleton State.
 
All-Time Series Histories: North Florida (2-1), Stephen F. Austin (2-0), Tarleton State (1-0)
 
Big 12 Conference Championship // Tucson, Ariz. // April 22-24
The second annual Big 12 Conference Championship will be hosted by the University of Arizona. Last season, TCU went 3-0 with wins over Utah and Arizona State twice en route to the inaugural crown. The Horned Frogs have won three consecutive conference titles in three different conferences.
 
The 2026 event will feature an expanded Big 12, with members joining TCU being Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Florida State and South Carolina. The Horned Frogs are at weekend tournaments with all five other members of the league.
 
NCAA Championships // Gulf Shores, Ala. // May 1-3
TCU will look to repeat as National Champions at the 2026 NCAA Championships, being hosted again in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The tournament format will feature 16 of the best teams from around the country in a three-day event. 
 
All-time, the Frogs are 7-6 at the NCAA Championships and have made five consecutive appearances in Gulf Shores.

The second round had been the furthest the SMU volleyball team had ever gone in the NCAA tournament. Not anymore.

Not only did the second-seeded Mustangs win their first and second-round matchups, but they did so in emphatic and impressive fashion. SMU set a program and NCAA tournament record with a .618 hitting percentage against Central Arkansas in a first-round sweep.

Jadyn Livings led with 15 kills, with only one error on 23 swings, while Malaya Jones had her 25th double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs and Averi Carlson had 35 assists. Favor Anyanwu delivered seven blocks, and Jordyn Schilling had 11 digs to lead SMU’s defense.

“We’ve talked a lot about joy in the battle. We want to earn it,” SMU head coach Sam Erger said. “We don’t want them to give us anything. We want to earn every single point. And no one should walk away here going, ‘SMU didn’t go and make that happen.’ So we work a lot on mentality, and then when you hit so well, I think you got to talk about your setter. We have one of the best with Averi making everybody look good.”

The 25-13, 25-13, 25-13 victory got the Mustangs to the second round for the third straight year. The breakthrough came against Florida. 

SMU dominated the first set for a 25-11 win, then fought for 25-21 and 26-24 wins in the second and third sets to reach the third round for the first time in program history.

“I’m just so happy and proud and excited, and we’re going to enjoy this for a moment, because this is our program’s first time to ever do this,” Erger said. “I do believe that we felt like this was something we could do, and we’re excited for the next round, but I think we should enjoy some of the history that is being made.”

It has been a season of history for the Mustangs. SMU was ranked as high as No. 7 in the country during the regular season, the program’s highest ranking ever. The victory against Florida was the team’s 27th of the season and 15th at home, both tying the program record. And it was the 100th career victory for Erger.

Individually, Jones surpassed the 500-kill mark to become just the second player in SMU history to do so. Anyanwu is within 14 blocks of the single-season record, and Carlson is third for single-season assists in the rally scoring era and sixth all-time.

No matter the challenge the Mustangs face, the new territory they enter or anything else, they feel ready to take it on together.

“I definitely had no doubt going into (the Florida) match,” Anyanwu said. “I knew whatever was thrown at us, we’ve gone through worse, so I had full-on confidence that no matter what they threw at us, we were going to be able to persevere and come through in the end. I’m just so grateful to play for a program like this, and it just means the world that we just rally behind each other and we just support each other fully. It’s amazing.”

After a dominant first set, the Mustangs trailed 16-12 in the second set. They won the next five points to take a lead. With the set tied at 19, SMU finished the set on a 6-2 run to win 25-21.

Even though it was only the second set, it was a crucial turning point in the match.

“I didn’t say this to the team, and I thought about saying this, but I really felt like if we won that second set, we would win the match,” Erger said. “That’s just where I was at.… I always think we’re going to win, but I’m like, ‘If we win the second set, this is our match’ because we’re going to come back from this adversity, and I know my team, and I know how fired up they’re going to be to close it out.”

That’s been the attitude and approach of the team all season. Erger has referred to them as fighters and having that mentality throughout the year. It now has the Mustangs in the Sweet 16 for the first time ever.

“We work a lot on our mentality,” Erger said. “Before (the Florida) match, we talked about burning the boats. Like we’re going to war and we’re on ships, and we’ve got to go to shore to fight, and we’re going to burn the boats. There’s no second option. We’re going to burn those freaking boats. There’s nothing to do but fight. There’s no cop-out, nothing.”