Jane Hedengren is no stranger to receiving honors and accolades due to her prowess in both cross-country and track and field.

The Timpview High standout — and future BYU Cougar — is a running sensation at this point, having won Gatorade National Player of the Year awards for both cross-country (2024) and track and field (2025).

The latest award (track and field) was presented to Hedengren by Katelyn Tuohy, a four-time individual NCAA Division I champion at NC State and a winner of five Gatorade Player of the Year awards before that.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

BYU cross-country coach Diljeet Taylor — Hedengren’s soon-to-be head coach — was also in attendance, making the episode a particularly notable one.

Presentation of the award was caught on video, providing a “behind the scenes” look into Hedengren’s latest honor.

Hedengren was an easy choice for national girls track and field player of the year.

She is the high school national record holder in the 5,000 meters (14:57.93), mile (4:23.50), 1,600-meter (4:21.81), 3,200-meter (9:14.65) and the two-mile (9:17.75). And she recently won the 3,000 meter race at Nike Outdoor Nationals, setting an under-20 record of 8:40.3.

Hedengren is expected to star immediately for BYU and she doesn’t shy away from that pressure.

She told the Deseret News’ Krysyan Edler: “I’m sure there’s going to be many learning curves but I’m ready for that and I’m excited for that because I think that will only positively affect me as a person and as an athlete, just with building my resilience and just learning to be adaptable within many different positions.”

Colorado Springs, Colo. (July 3, 2025) –The U.S. Girls U19 National Team swept Peru, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) on Thursday at the 2025 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship in Osijek, Croatia.

The U.S. (2-0) will face Poland (2-0) in a matchup of undefeated teams on Friday, July 4, at 12:15 p.m. PT.

The U.S. finished with significant advantages in kills (44-25) and blocks (14-5). The U.S. hit .268 as a team for the match. Peru led 5-3 in aces.

MATCH STATISTICS (PDF)

Opposite Henley Anderson paced the U.S. with team-bests of 14 points, 10 kills and four blocks.

“In our first match against Spain we got the job done but didn’t play to our full potential. Against Peru we came out with a sharper focus and a sense of energy combined with high energy throughout the match,” Anderson said. “It really shows what we are capable of when we trust each other and compete at our level.”

Outside hitter Suli Davis totaled 10 points on nine kills and a block. Middle blocker Gabrielle Nichols scored eight points on four kills, three blocks and an ace.

Setter Genevieve Harris ran the effective offense while adding two blocks and an ace. Outside hitter Cari Spears recorded five kills and a pair of blocks for seven points.

Middle Abbey Emch registered five kills, and outside hitters Lameen Mambu (three kills and one block) and Devyn Wiest (three kills and an ace) each scored four points.

The U.S. jumped out to a 9-3 lead to begin the match and did not allow Peru to get closer than five points at any time in the set. The U.S. Girls U19 squad hit .577 as a team with 17 kills and only two errors in 26 attacks. Anderson scored six points on five kills and a block, and Spears scored five points on three kills and two of the team’s five blocks.

Peru led 6-5 in the second set before the U.S. scored nine of the next 12 points. Back-to-back blocks, the team’s eighth and ninth of the match, and an ace from Wiest gave the U.S. a 14-9 lead. A put away by Davis made it 18-12, and the lead reached eight after a Peru hitting error and another U.S. block.

Though the U.S. team was not able to continue its blistering offensive numbers from the opening set, it did continue to control the net with eight blocks in the second set. Nichols led the way with five points on two kills, two blocks and an ace, while Davis and Anderson each scored three points.

Kelly Kinney won a joust at the net to even the score at 13 in the third set. With the score tied at 14, consecutive kills by Wiest and Kinney gave the U.S. the lead for good at 16-14. Peru pulled back within a point, 18-17, but the U.S. finished the match on a 7-1 run that ended on an Anderson kill off hands. Middle blocker Jordan Taylor recorded a key block, the team’s 14th of the match, for a 22-18 lead.

2025 U19 National Team Roster for World Championship

(Name, Pos., Birth Year, Height, Hometown, School, Region)
3 Jordan Taylor (MB, 6-5, 2007, Houston, Texas, University of Minnesota, Lone Star)
5 Lily Hayes (L, 5-9, 2007, Tampa, Fla., Berkeley Prep HS, Florida)
6 Suli Davis (OH, 6-1, 2007, Euless, Texas, Brigham Young University, North Texas)
8 Abbey Emch (MB, 6-3, 2007, New Waterford, Ohio, University of Pittsburgh, Ohio Valley)
10 Isabelle Hoppe (S, 5-8, 2008, Gibsonia, Pa., Pine Richland HS, Ohio Valley)
11 Kelly Kinney (OH/OPP, 6-2, 2007, West Palm Beach, Fla., The Kings Academy, Florida)
12 Genevieve Harris (S, 5-11, 2007, Raleigh, N.C, Cardinal Gibbons HS, Carolina)
13 Gabrielle Nichols (MB, 6-3, 2007, Winston Salem, N.C., Penn State University, Carolina)
16 Cari Spears (OH, 6-3, 2007, Dallas, Texas, University of Texas, North Texas)
17 Lameen Mambu (OH, 6-0, 2007, Chantilly, Va., Georgia Tech, Chesapeake)
19 Henley Anderson (OPP/OH, 6-3, 2007, Dripping Springs, Texas, Dripping Springs HS, Lone Star)
20 Devyn Wiest (OH, 6-3, 2007, Peoria, Ariz., University of Utah, Arizona)

Alternates
1 Izzy Mogridge (S, 5-11, 2007, Lutz, Fla., Berkeley Prep HS, Florida)
2 Charlotte Vinson (OPP, 6-2, 2007, Muncie, Ind., Yorktown HS, Hoosier)
4 Kalyssa Blackshear (MB/OPP, 6-4, 2007, Torrance, Calif., University of Louisville, Southern California)
7 Ayanna Watson (OH/OPP, 6-3, 2007, Henderson, Nev., Bishop Gorman HS, Southern California)
9 Natalie Wardlow (MB/OPP, 6-5, 2007, Lincoln, Neb., Lincoln Southeast HS, Great Plains)
15 Logan Bell (L, 5-11, 2007, Beech Grove, Ind., Roncalli HS, Hoosier)
18 Aniya Warren (L, 5-8, 2007, Lockport, Ill., Benet Academy, Great Lakes)

Coaches
Head Coach: Keegan Cook (Minnesota)
Assistant Coach: Alyssa D’Errico (Utah)
Assistant Coach: April Sanchez (New Mexico)
Performance Analyst: Jon Wong (Florida State)
ATC: Cherryl Bueno (Coast to Coast AthletiCare)
Team Lead: Courtney Smith (NTDP)

2025 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship Schedule
All times Pacific/Osijek, Croatia
Matches live on VBTV and Volleyball World YouTube

July 2: USA def. Spain, 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-23)
July 3: USA def. Peru, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-18)
July 4: 12:15 p.m. USA vs. Poland
July 6: 12:15 p.m. USA vs. Bulgaria
July 7: 12:15 p.m. USA vs. Türkiye
July 8: TBA Round of 16
July 11: TBA Playoffs/Quarterfinals
July 12: TBA Playoffs/Semifinals
July 13: Finals

Before embarking upon an illustrious career in law, Sexton was a 1979 graduate of Bellarmine and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982. A program luminary in distance running, he was the Knights’ top men’s cross country runner and named Most Valuable Runner all four of his years at Bellarmine.

Sexton’s name remains prominent in the cross country record book. Upon his return to Bellarmine, he ranked eighth on both the 8k and 10k performance lists, held the 17th-best 8k time (24:46) in program history, which had stood as the top mark until 2015, and the 14th-best 10k time (31:51.3), which he delivered at the 1977 NCAA II Championships.

Sexton was recognized as an Academic All-American in 1978. He was honored with Bellarmine’s John T. Loftus Award in both 1978 and 1979 and the Fred J. Karem Scholastic Achievement Award in 1979.

      

Sexton obtained his J.D. Degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1982. He served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and, during his time there, served as the Director of the Criminal Appeals Division and the Director of the Prosecutors Advisory Council. 

Additionally in his time in the attorney general’s office, Sexton served as a Supreme Court Fellow with the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, DC. He left the attorney general’s office in 2003 to serve as an Assistant Jefferson County Attorney in the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office. In the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, he is the Director of the Appellate Division.

Sexton was recognized by the Jefferson County Attorney with a Special Recognition Award for his advocacy in the Kentucky Supreme Court. During the course of his career in government service, he’s argued numerous cases in the Kentucky Court of Appeals, the Kentucky Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sexton’s wife, Mary Pat, is a 1982 Bellarmine graduate and the couple has two sons.

HONOLULU – A total of 79 University of Hawai’i student-athletes earned Academic All-Big West honors for the spring sports during the 2024 season. The sports included are baseball, beach volleyball, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, women’s track and field, men’s volleyball, and women’s water polo.
 
The track and field team had the most honorees with 14 followed by softball (13), baseball (10) and water polo (10).
 
To be eligible for the All-Academic team, student athletes must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, complete one full year at the member institution prior to the season and compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests (baseball pitchers are exempt of participation standards, track and field must either compete in 50 percent or conference championship).
 
The following is a list of the spring honorees from UH teams:
 

Kyle Dobyns – Sociology
Jordan Donahue – Human Development & Family Studies
Hunter Faildo – Finance
Elijah Ickes – Exploratory
Matthew Miura –  Sociology
Cory Ronan – Interdisciplinary Studies
Itsuki Takemoto –  Exploratory
Zacary Tenn – Economics
Dylan Waite – Economics
Ben Zeigler-Namoa – Economics
 

Sydney Amiatu – Political Science
Sarah Burton – Pre-Psychology
Sophie Buschmann – Health & Exercise Science
Alana Embry – Psychology
Julia Lawrenz – Journalism
Caprice Lorenzo – Finance
Jesse Mann – Mechanical Engineering
Sydney Miller – Fashion Design & Merchandising
Kristen Serrano –  Management
 

Anson Cabello – Exploratory Business
Josh Hayashida – Finance
Tyler Ogawa – Finance
Garrett Takeuchi – Finance
Dane Watanabe – Health & Exercise Science
James Whitworth – Finance
 

Varnika S. Achanta – Exploratory Business
Maline Kraus – Sociology
Wendy Song – Marketing
Emiko Sverduk – Pre-Psychology
Kellie Yamane – Accounting
 

Carys Murakami – Pre-Psychology
Jamie McGaughey – Exploratory
Amelia “Millie” Fidge – Health & Exercise Science
Maycen Gibbs – Health & Exercise Science
Larissa Goshi – Health & Exercise Science
Milan Ah Yat – Sociology
Ellyanna Cinzori – Marketing
Maya Ichimura – Chemistry
Cierra Yamamoto – Psychology
Liliana Thomas – Psychology
Izabella Martinez – History
Addison Kostrencich – Communication
Chloe Borges – Management
 

Diego Dalisay – Communication
Andy Hernandez – Electrical Engineering
Quinn Snyder – Economics
Sohta Urano – Finance
 

Hannah Galindo – Pre-Engineering
Nikola Homolkova – Educational Psychology
Joelle Lanz – Political Science & Comms.
Sheena Masuda – Senior Economics
Ana Vilcek – Psychology/Human Development & Family Studies
 

Grace Blanchette – Kinesiology & Rehab Science
Allison Bliss – Food Science & Human Nutrition
Ruby Brook – Biochemistry
Rose Forshaw – Earth Sciences
Greta Fraraccio – Finance
Helen Hoadley – Mechanical Engineering
Emilie Kirk Langschwager – Microbiology
Isabella Kneeshaw – Communication
Zola O’Donnell – Mathematics
Valo Sopoaga – Exploratory Health Sciences
Catherine Touchette – Junior Finance
Lilian Turban – Communication
Samaria Vital – Political Science
Tara Wyllie – Psychology
 

‘Eleu Choy – Civil Engineering
Kurt Nusterer – Finance
Kai Taylor – Sociology
 

Alia Burlock – Biology
Bernadette Doyle – Marketing Management
Tara Logan – Health & Exercise Science
Daisy Logtens – Health & Exercise Science
Raha Peiravani – Finance
Roni Perlman – Interdisciplinary Studies
Camille Radosavljevic – Finance
Esmee Roijen – Sociology & Political Science
Emilia Schorr – Biological Engineering
Jordan Wedderburn – Health & Exercise Science

#HawaiiAthletics

Charles “Charlie” Craig, who came to Cal State Bakersfield in 1971 and built the track and field program from scratch, developing a wealth of talented student-athletes in 31 seasons, was revealed on Wednesday night as the third member of the inaugural class of CSUB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.

A former standout sprinter and jumper at Fresno State who competed in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Trials finals in the triple jump, Craig’s coaching career started soon after as an assistant at Cal Berkeley.

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Upon his arrival at CSUB, he was first hired as the university’s educational opportunity program director. In 1972, Craig started CSUB’s track program from the ground up — 10 athletes were on his initial team. He went on to coach 195 NCAA Division II All-Americans, 18 NCAA Division II national champions and two Olympic qualifiers.

In 2002, Craig was named NCAA Division II Track and Field Coach of the Year. He retired in 2004.

Craig’s success was recognized as his coaching skills paved the way for working with U.S. National Track and Field program. He was the USA Track and Field assistant coach for the 1991 world championships and at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Acknowledging his contributions to the sport, Craig was elected to the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

Locally, Craig is a 1991 Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

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Craig joins two previously announced inaugural hall of fame inductees, three-time NCAA Division II female swimmer of the year Loni (Burton) Vander Kooi (2003-05), and CSUB’s founding athletics director Rudy Carvajal, who served in his role for 38 years (1972-2010).

Each night this week, through Friday, CSUB’s newest inductees are being unveiled first on the 6 p.m. KBAK and 10 p.m. KBFX newscasts by Sports Director Greg Kerr.

A formal induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25 in CSUB’s Icardo Center for the entire five-member class. Tickets are available online. For more information, contact CSUB Associate Athletics Director for Development Sarah Tuohy at stuohy@csub.edu

Hard to believe fall sports start next month.

And on Wednesday, Illinois volleyball dropped its 2025 non-conference schedule.

It features nine matches, including two at Huff Hall.

It starts August. 29 against South Dakota State at Northern Iowa.

Then there’s three road matches against Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and 2024 NCAA runner-up Louisville.

Sept. 12-14 features three matches in Normal against Cincinnati, Miami and Illinois State.

Illinois then gets to return home to face Iowa State and Eastern Illinois. The grueling Big Ten schedule will then commence.

It’s Chris Tamas’ ninth season in Champaign. Crazy. Feels like Hambly was just here. Illinois is coming off a first round exit in the NCAA Tournament.