NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored North Central College men’s track & field head coach Gabe Rivera with the Midwest Region Coach of the Year award, while Braden Nicholson was named the Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year, the organization announced on Thursday.

Rivera, in his third year at the helm of the Cardinal men’s track & field program, led North Central to its seventh straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Outdoor Championship this spring. Qualifying five individuals for the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championships, North Central claimed two All-American awards.

Earning those two All-American honors was Nicholson, the winner of the 10,000-meter race with a time of 29:20.59 to earn the program’s first individual national champion since 2021. He is also just the second student-athlete in school history to win a national championship at both the 10,000-meter and 3,000-meter distances, which Nicholson did at the 2025 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships on March 14. The graduate student also claimed All-American accolades in the 5,000-meter run with a sixth-place finish (14:16.83). Nicholson is now a seven-time All-American for the men’s track & field program, with a 2023 All-American honor in cross country. 

Nicholson and Rivera have continued the historic success of the North Central men’s track & field programs as this marks the 52nd straight outdoor season the Cardinals have produced an All-American at the DIII Outdoor National Championships. North Central has also won a combined 15 straight Indoor & Outdoor CCIW Championships, dating back to 2017.

 

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The high school junior was arrested Saturday morning on his way to volleyball practice. Governor Maura Healey said she is “demanding immediate answers.”

A Milford High School student was detained by federal immigration officials on his way to volleyball practice Saturday, prompting a protest of hundreds of people.

“It was shocking. It’s frankly disgusting,” said coach Andrew Mainini.

The high school junior was arrested when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled over a car full of students, according to multiple reports. The boys were on their way to an early Saturday morning volleyball practice; Mainini told Boston.com he initially thought they overslept.

But, one of the student athletes texted Mainini, letting him know that the driver of their carpool had been detained by federal agents. The coach learned more details from the students Sunday, who said that upwards of ten masked people, who appeared to be ICE agents, began questioning the three high schoolers and scanning their faces with cell phones on their way to practice.

“These are high school students. They’re honors and AP level students. They are members of athletic teams. They are members of the student council. They are members of the school musical ensembles,” Mainini said.

Sunday morning, Milford families celebrated during the high school’s graduation ceremony. Afterwards, community members gathered to support the detained student at Milford Town Hall. The town, which is about 40 miles southwest of Boston, is nearly 30 percent foreign-born, according to census data.

During Sunday’s demonstration, family members identified the detained student as 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes, according to reports. He is originally from Brazil, and his full name is Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, according to the ICE inmate tracker. The tracker did not say where he is currently being held as of Sunday evening.

ICE and Milford police did not return a request for comment Sunday evening.

The coaching staff told the whole team about Da Silva after practice Saturday morning, after discussing it with school administration, Mainini said. Most of the team was in tears, he said, and one athlete even threw up.

“Marcelo was their friend. I think, to many of them, he felt like family. It was intense,” Mainini said. “He is deeply ingrained in the school community, and he is someone that touches people’s lives positively on a daily basis.”

The agents let the other two students go, Mainini said, including one who had a student visa through an exchange program. Agents told the other student to get “good representation because ICE would be back for them,” according to the coach. That student was under the age of 18.

“It was surreal,” Mainini said.

Governor Maura Healey said Sunday she “demands answers” about the arrest.

“Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions,” Healey wrote on X. “I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.”

“Free Marcelo”: Hundreds gather at Milford Town Hall

Hundreds gathered along Main Street in Milford during Sunday’s protest, some students still in graduation robes, wearing Milford red and chanting “hands off our kids.” Protesters held signs like “due process,” “Free Marcelo,” “He belongs here,” and “Education not deportation.”

Nearly 200 educators joined the demonstration, marching from the high school to town hall on Sunday, the Milford Teachers Association said. Union President Nick Molinari said “this student should have been at a volleyball practice with his teammates.”

“Instead, ICE agents targeted one of our students in a deliberate act of cruelty, traumatizing his family, friends and peers,” Molinari said. “This is immoral, unnecessary and should be universally condemned. We will not stand by while the rights and humanity of our students are violated.”

Rep. Jake Auchincloss also attended the demonstration.

“This administration has its public safety priorities backwards,” Auchincloss wrote on X. “It pardons cop-beaters from Jan 6 but detains high-school volleyball players. It makes gun-purchaser background checks harder while pushing for tax breaks to buy silencers for pistols.” 

Detained high school student’s girlfriend: ‘He is not a criminal’

Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre did not respond to a request for comment Sunday, but said in a statement to WCVB that the district has no role in immigration enforcement operations. 

“We have also had a number of parents who have been detained by ICE in recent weeks. We are all distraught by this news,” McIntyre’s statement read. “They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors. We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.”

A friend who was in the car when Da Silva was arrested said “if I were a year older, I would have been in the back of the car with my friend,” WCVB reported. The student’s girlfriend, Julianys Rentas, told the news station that she spoke to Da Silva after he was detained.

“He told me he had chains around his ankles, he had chains around his wrists,” Rentas said. “He’s in a cell with 30 other men. He’s the only 18-year-old there, he’s the youngest there. He is not a criminal. He’s a member of this community and has never done anything wrong.”

Mainini said that Da Silva is enrolled in honors classes and is a member of the school band. He told Boston.com that Da Silva doesn’t have any significant disciplinary record.

“This is a story where I think the public needs to take a hard look at the situation and really question what exactly is going on,” Mainini said.

Mainini told the Globe that Da Silva is enrolled in honors classes and is a member of the school band. Dawn Craig, a Milford school administrator, said he helped coach the girls volleyball team and took care of his younger siblings.

“He’s been in this country since he was 5,” Craig told the Globe. “Where is he going to be sent?”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

It encourages coaches, organisations and the public to share the wisdom and experiences that have changed lives, shining a light on the unique impact coaches have on individuals, teams and communities across the UK. 

Whether it’s a piece of guidance that boosted confidence, a word of encouragement that ignited passion, or a lesson that shaped a career, coaching is about more than performance, it’s about people.  

Throughout UK Coaching Week, UK Coaching is encouraging everyone to share their stories of great coaching that has left a lasting impact, either on social media, using the hashtag #PassItOn, on in their face-to-face sessions. 

Each day of the week, a different aspect of coaching, highlighting the diversity and depth of the role coaches play. 

Monday – Coaching the Person in Front of You 

Tuesday – The Art of Effective Communication 

Wednesday – Women in Coaching 

Thursday – Lifelong Learning in Coaching 

Friday – Building Confidence 

Saturday – Inspiring Change 

Sunday – Celebrating Success 

Reflecting on the significance of coaching, UK Coaching CEO, Mark Gannon, said: “Coaches shape not only athletes and participants but entire communities. 

“This UK Coaching Week, we want to celebrate the support and guidance that coaches pass on every day. By sharing these stories, we inspire others to #PassItOn and continue the cycle of growth and learning. 

“Recognising the extraordinary work coaches do in developing not only athletic skills but life skills is crucial. Let’s come together to inspire the next generation of coaches.” 

For more details about UK Coaching Week 2025, click here. 

ELMHURST, IL – Three Texas men were arrested last week in an Elmhurst car burglary in which they stole money from a man who had just visited a bank, police said.

Police referred to the incident as “jugging,” in which suspects target people leaving banks.

The men were identified as Jamond D. Johnson, 27, of Windemere; Jontrey R. Houston, 24, of Houston; and Anthony D. Mackintrush, 24, of Dallas, police said.

About 10 a.m. Thursday, officers were called to the parking lot at Jewel, 153 E. Schiller St., for a report of a car burglary, according to a police news release.

Police were told a man was seen breaking a window of a car and then leaving in the back seat of a gray crossover SUV, police said.

Officers spoke with the owner, who said he had just come from the Chase Bank branch across the street after withdrawing cash. He drove directly to the store. He reported someone stole money from the locked car, police said. The man also told officers that a gray crossover SUV was parked alongside him when he was at the bank.

Viewing surveillance footage, officers saw the suspects in a gray Chevrolet Trax, which displayed a fraudulent paper Tennessee registration tag. The officers notified other police departments.

Three hours later, police were told the same suspect car was involved in another car burglary in Forest Park, with the car seen heading west on Interstate 290.

Not long after, officers found the suspect car in a disabled parking spot at the front doors of the Wells Fargo Bank branch on South Route 83 in Elmhurst.

The three Texas men were then arrested. Police said they recovered a metal window punch, stolen money, marijuana and a pill containing a controlled substance.

Johnson and Houston were charged with burglary and theft. Houston was also charged with unauthorized use of a disabled parking spot.

Mackintrush was listed as being involved in the “jugging” incident, but was only charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

“Jugging is when criminals watch victims withdrawing money from their bank, then follow them to another location to steal cash either by breaking into their cars or robbing them,” Police Chief Michael McLean said in a statement. “Fortunately, Elmhurst’s network of public safety cameras was able to identify the suspects and their vehicle, leading to their quick apprehension when they made the mistake of coming back to our community.”

Police said jugging is on the rise around the country. They advised people to be aware of their surroundings, pay attention to people backed into parking spaces who do not leave to conduct business in the bank, make banking the last stop among their errands, and call 911 if they see someone suspicious or suspect they are being followed.

Professional figure skater, actress, and college student? Skye Chua is one to watch out for.

Related: 7 Rising Gen Z Filipino Athletes You Should Know 

The thing about today’s entertainment industry is that it isn’t required anymore to follow a certain path to make a name for yourself. These days, any background is ok (and even encouraged), as long as you come to the job with the dedication, passion, and talent for it. That’s the case for Skye Chua. 

One of Sparkle’s Gen Z actresses under their roster, Skye has been proving herself as both a professional figure skater (she’s a member of the Philippine national figure skating team) and a budding actress. Both aren’t easy to do on their own, but the fact that she’s doing them at the same time while still in school? Ok Skye, we see you. Below, get to know a bit more about this medal-winning Gen Z diva on the ice.

SHE THANKS MALL SKATING FOR GETTING HER IN THE SPORT

Considering the Philippines is a tropical country, we’d bet that your first experience with ice skating was probably through the skating rinks at malls. That too was the case for Skye, whose first encounter with ice skating was at five years old when she watched the ice skaters at SM Megamall. 

A couple of years later, her parents allowed her to try skating, and the rest, as they say, is history. “We would go eat at this fast-food restaurant beside the skating rink, and I would watch random skaters do their thing. When my mom finally allowed me to try it at seven, I fell in love instantly,” she said in an interview. Let Skye’s story be a reminder that if a sport or hobby catches your attention, don’t be afraid to try it. You never know where it might lead you. 

SHE’S AN ACCOMPLISHED FIGURE SKATER

With nearly 15 years of experience on the ice, Skye has and continues to hone her craft as a professional in the sport. Her achievements and accomplishments are a testament to that. For example, at the 2017 Philippine National Figure Skating Championships, Skye participated as an advanced novice and bagged the gold medal in her national debut. Oh, there’s also the little tidbit that she met ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon when he was in the Philippines years ago for a figure skating competition. In the immortal words of Mitchie Torres, she’s really good. 

SHE’S ALREADY BOOKED ROLES IN BIG PROJECTS

While Skye is still focusing on her figure skating career, she is also a budding actress, a path she embarked on after she signed with Sparkle a few years ago. Fittingly, she made her acting debut in 2023 in the show Hearts on Ice, the country’s first-ever figure skating series that starred fellow ice-skater-turned-actress Ashley Ortega. In the show, Skye played Sonja Limjoco. 

Since then, she has gone on to book roles in two of GMA’s biggest teleseryes in recent years, namely Black Rider as Valencia Chen, and Pulang Araw as Yuki. And if that wasn’t enough, she’s also grown a bit of a following on social media where she posts snippets of her life as a figure skater, national athlete, and actress, as well as her take on viral trends and challenges. 

SHE BALANCES BEING A WORKING STUDENT-ATHLETE

A mark of someone who truly wants it is the dedication they put into their work. And that much is true for Skye, who not only is a professional figure skater, a national athlete, and an actress, but also a college student currently taking up Sports Science at UP Diliman. To do all three at the same time can be a lot, but Skye is making it work and serving as a bit of an inspiration for aspiring athletes and Gen Z in general. 

SHE’S REPRESENTED THE COUNTRY INTERNATIONALLY 

As one of the few professional figure skaters in the country, Skye has proudly represented the Philippines in competitions around the world. Just this year, she jetted off to Turin, Italy for the 2025 Winter World University Games representing both her school, UP Diliman, and the country (this marked the first time she represented both at the same event). While she ultimately finished 32nd in the women’s singles figure skating, she still did a good job as the country’s sole representative at the Games. That’s world-class talent right there. 

HER STYLE IS GIVING GEN Z ICE PRINCESS 

Skye’s got game, and when she’s off the rink, we get to see even more of her personality, such as through her style. Her skating ‘fits eat, while her off-duty looks are a mix and match of dainty dresses and comfortable, cozy, and everyday pieces. She can give girl-next-door vibes and baddie energy, and we love that for her. 

Continue Reading: These 10 Pinoy Gen Z Artists and Rising Stars Are Ready To Take Over 2025