FARMVILLE, Va. – Another semester, and more GPA records fall for Longwood student-athletes.
 
The Lancers broke the department’s term GPA record with a 3.52 this past semester, and every team earned above a 3.0 GPA.
 
A total of 116 student-athletes earned Dean’s List honors for a GPA above 3.5, an honor only available to undergraduates, and 47 posted perfect 4.00 GPAs to earn President’s List honors, also only available to undergraduates. A full 85 percent of student-athletes had a 3.0 GPA or better.

“Once again our student-athletes continue to raise the bar in the classroom,” said Longwood Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Hall. “I am proud of their grit and resilience and proud of hte work of our coaches and support staff to help them continue to succeed. This success is another testament to the emphasis on both athletic and academic excellence that is a pillar of the department at Longwood. I am glad for the opportunity to celebrate these results.”

 

Lancer student-athletes have now compiled a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for 18 straight semesters.

 

“The continued academic success of our student-athletes is a direct reflection of the standards we set and the people we bring into our programs,” said Farrah Young, Associate Athletics Director for Academics and Student Services and Senior Woman Administrator. “Breaking GPA records again is not something we take lightly—it speaks to the commitment, discipline, and pride our student-athletes show every single day in the classroom. I also want to sincerely thank Alex Dinger for her outstanding work and support of our student-athletes; her efforts play a huge role in these results. These achievements reinforce that the culture of excellence at Longwood is real, sustainable, and continuing to grow.”

 

The Lancer women’s teams combined for their highest GPA in school history with a 3.65, with the women’s golf recording an incredible 3.81 team GPA, the highest in team history. Women’s tennis (3.80) and softball (3.76) also set team records. Women’s basketball, field hockey, women’s lacrosse and women’s cross country and track & field also set GPA records for the semester.

 

On the men’s side, the teams had their second-best GPA with a 3.35, with men’s golf leading the charge at 3.76 that served as the program record. Men’s soccer (3.45) and men’s tennis (3.38) were second and third respectively. Baseball also set the program record for fall GPA in program history with a 3.22.

 

In addition, men’s golf and women’s soccer extended streaks with a GPA above 3.0 to 34 straight semesters, and field hockey is now at 23 straight semesters for the same mark. Softball has topped the plateau in 18 straight semesters, and the men’s basketball team carded an eighth straight semester with a team GPA above 3.0.

 

#GoWood #HorsePower

 

When people hear the name Merritt Beason, they may think “Nebraska volleyball player, former All-American,” but her path to the Husker volleyball team almost didn’t happen.

The former Husker opposite hitter grew up as a gymnast in Alabama before playing volleyball, with plans to try out for the cheer team in high school. However, one conversation with her father changed everything.

“I kind of came to a crossroads where I didn’t know if I was going to try out for cheer or volleyball,” Beason told Hurrdat Sports. “My dad, on my back porch, we were kind of talking through it, and I’ll never forget, he said, ‘Do you want to be cheered for, or do you want to cheer for other people?’ I said, ‘OK, there’s my answer.’”

Beason spent two years at Nebraska, earning All-America honors in 2023 before going pro in 2024.

The Atlanta Vibe drafted Beason with the first overall pick in the first round of the 2024 Major League Volleyball draft. She spent one season there before becoming a free agent and ultimately signing with the Omaha Supernovas on Aug. 7, 2025.

“Nebraska has truly become like my second home, and so the minute that I stepped foot back in the state, I just felt that, and felt all the love from everyone around us,” Beason said. “But I’m just super excited. Everybody says there’s truly no place like Nebraska, and just playing in a state that celebrates volleyball so much is something that I wanted to be a part of again. I’m super excited for our season to get going.”

While with the Huskers, Beason played for former Nebraska head coach John Cook, who now serves as co-owner and general manager of the Supernovas. The two are now reunited in Omaha.

“It was like I was in the portal again getting recruited by him again,” Beason said. “That was obviously not something that I thought that I would be having those kinds of conversations with him anymore. So it was really special, and I think, obviously, he’s been a big part of getting my love for the game back, and just growing in the sport itself. For me, he’s been a huge part of that, so to have him kind of along this journey with me as well has been really cool.”

The 6-foot-4 pin hitter spent two seasons at Florida before entering her name into the transfer portal, stepping into the unknown in 2023.

“I didn’t really care where I ended up,” Beason said. “Honestly, it was kind of like, I could be walking into another program that wasn’t a great fit for me. I was kind of in the mind frame of like, ‘OK, I’ll give it another shot, and if it’s the same kind of deal I’ll quit.’ I didn’t know where I was going to end up. I didn’t necessarily have the best thoughts about myself or my game at that point in time, so I didn’t know if I’d be at the JUCO down the road of my home town or where I was going to end up.”

That unknown led her to Nebraska. In her two seasons with the program, the Gardendale, Alabama, native recorded 3.27 kills per set on .258 hitting while adding 41 aces for the Huskers.

“From the moment that I stepped on campus for my visit, I knew that this was going to be home for me,” Beason said. “I could go on and on for hours just about how special that program was for me specifically, but I truly did fall back in love with volleyball. I had the best teammates that I could have asked for, truly loved every single one of them and just getting to know them, and then obviously staff was a big one for me.”

Named a two-time team captain at Nebraska, Beason helped guide the Huskers to two Final Four appearances while regaining her love for the sport.

“I think just the group of girls that we had made that time so special, the relationships that we built and the friendships, the lifelong friendships that I’ll have away from it,” Beason reflected. “We had so many cool experiences, like, obviously, the stadium match, and going to two Final Fours, and just breaking so many records left and right. That’s such a special time in Nebraska volleyball history. I’m just so honored to have been a small part of it.”

Beason will continue to prepare for her first game with the Supernovas, with hopes of growing throughout the year.

“I think a thing for me personally is just to continue getting 1% better every single day,” Beason said. “I think (head coach) Luka (Slabe) does a great job of kind of fostering that environment as well, of accepting the mistakes and pushing us to make the mistakes so that we can get better. So it’s kind of been a focus of mine in the preseason is not being scared of those mistakes, and just truly failing first so that we can get better. That’s kind of been a focus of mine this off season.”

The Supernovas open the 2026 season by welcoming the San Diego Mojo to CHI Health Center Omaha on Thursday. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT, streaming on YouTube.

Wrestling

The Columbia wrestling team competes in its final regular season tournament this Friday when it competes in the annual David H. Hehman F&M Open hosted by Franklin & Marshall at the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The annual tournament will be one of the Lions’ last tune-ups before they open Ivy League action later this month. Last time out, the Lions kicked off 2026 with a resounding 35-12 win over local rival LIU. Columbia won eight of 10 matches in the dual, including seven in a row. The Lions will send 18 guys, with another three competing unattached. At this event last year, former Lion Jack McGill captured the 174-pound title, becoming the first Lion to win a title at the tournament since 2013. In total, six Lions posted top-three finishes with Richard Fedalen and Cesar Alvan finishing second at 149 and 165. Kai Owen (149), Joe Curtis (197), and Vincent Mueller (285) finished in third. Fans can follow all of the action on Friday via FloArena.
 

Track & Field

Columbia indoor track and field competed in three season-opening meets around New York City last month, highlighted by first-year thrower Mia Hoskins breaking the program weight throw record. At the Army Crowell Open, Hoskins posted a mark of 17.94 meters to set a new Columbia standard in her collegiate debut. Marcus Blasucci also delivered the second-best shot put performance in school history. The Lions earned event wins in long jump, triple jump, and multiple running disciplines, with strong results from both veteran and newcomer athletes.
 

  
For the latest on Columbia athletics, follow @GoColumbiaLions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com
 

Golden earned the honor after being named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight season and was also named First Team All-Ivy for the third-straight season.

Golden led Brown and finished second in the Ivy League with 4.72 digs per set. During league play, Golden upped her average to 4.98 digs per set, finishing more than .5 digs/set higher than the second-place finisher. The senior posted double-digit digs in all but one match, reached 20 digs nine times this season and collected a season-high 28 digs at Yale.

The Tampa, Fla., native was also named First Team All-ECAC.

 

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (Jan. 7, 2026) – For the second consecutive season, South Carolina Track & Field star sprinter JaMeesia Ford has been named to The Bowerman Preseason Watch List, as announced by The Bowerman Advisory Board on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bowerman debuted in 2009 and is named after former Oregon Head Coach Bill Bowerman and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female NCAA track & field athletes in the nation.

Ford, a 2025 semifinalist for The Bowerman, has now been named to the watch list for the 13^th time in her collegiate career which is the active leader for the women. The junior sprinter opened her 2026 campaign at the Clemson Opener in December where she won the 300m with a time of 36.25.

Ford is a three-time NCAA Individual Champion, including the 2025 Outdoor 200m title. The Fayetteville, N.C. native has already established herself as one of the most decorated athletes in Gamecock Track & Field history. In just two seasons, Ford has secured 10 All-American nods as well as four All-SEC honors. In 2025, she earned the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy at the SEC Outdoor Championship which is given to the student-athlete who captures the most points.

Ford owns the indoor program records in the 200m (22.34), 300m (35.83), 4x400m relay (3:26.05) and the DMR (10:55.41). Her outdoor performances are much of the same as she has claimed the top spot in the 100m (10.87), 200m (21.98), 4x100m (42.40), and the 4x400m (3:24.26).

Joining Ford on The Bowerman Preseason Watch List are Silan Ayyildiz (Oregon-Middle Distance), Grace Hartman (N.C. State-Distance), Jane Hedengren (BYU-Distance), Axelina Johansson (Nebraska-Throws), Alyssa Jones (Stanford-Jumps/Sprints), Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico-Distance), Doris Lemngole (Alabama-Distance), Amanda Moll (Washington-Pole Vault) and Hana Moll (Washington-Pole Vault).

The next Bowerman Watch List update will be revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 4 (women) and Thursday, Feb. 5 (men).

Ford and the rest of the Gamecocks will open the home slate this Saturday with the Gamecock Opener beginning at 10 a.m. at the Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex.

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai’i beach volleyball team announced its 2026 schedule ahead of the debut season of first-year head coach Danny Alvarez. The BeachBows home schedule includes nine regular-season dates with a pair of tournaments at Queen’s Beach and the team’s traditional Senior Weekend at the Ching Complex in Manoa in April.

The BeachBows will face nearly a dozen teams that finished last year in the final 2025 AVCA national poll, including all but two teams in the Top 10. Hawai’i returns 12 players from last year’s team that finished 19th in the national rankings. Seven newcomers join this year’s squad, including players from Australia, Brazil, New York and California.

  

Cream of the Crop: For the third year in a row, UH hosts the premier tournament in country in the OUTRIGGER Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic. The tournament, which runs Feb. 19-21 at Queen’s Beach, will feature five teams that finished last year in the top 10 of the AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll, including three top-5 squads. This year’s field includes national runner-up Loyola Marymount as well as California, Stanford, Texas, UCLA and USC.

Home Sweet Home: Besides the OUTRIGGER Duke Kahanamoku Classic, UH will also compete on two other weekends at home. UH hosts the Heineken Queen’s Cup, March 5-7, in Waikiki with a field that includes Chaminade, Concordia University Irvine, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, San Jose State and UNC Wilmington. UH will play Oregon at Queen’s Beach on April 10, before completing their home schedule April 11-12 in Manoa at when they take on Chaminade, Santa Clara and Oregon at the Ching Complex as part of Senior Weekend. 

  

Familiar Faces: Hawai’i has played every single team on its schedule at least once before. However UH will face three teams they have only met once before in Colorado Mesa (2022), Concordia Irvine (2024), Florida Gulf Coast (2018) and UNC Wilmington (2018). UH hosts Santa Clara during Senior Weekend, the first meeting between the teams since 2015.  

 

Road Trippin’: UH will compete in 14 regular-season matches on the continent spanning three different tournaments. The ‘Bows make its annual pilgrimage to Manhattan Beach for the East Meets West Invitational and neutral site matches against Texas, Florida International, LSU and Arizona State. This year’s Big West Challenge will take place at Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach with UH taking on six conference foes in advance of the Big West Championship. Meanwhile, UH will make its first trip to Arizona in four years when it participates in the Wildcat Spring Challenge, April 3-4 in Tucson. 

Trophy Chasing: UH looks to get back to the top of the conference heap when they travel to San Luis Obispo and the campus of Cal Poly for the 2026 Big West Championship, April 23-24. The BeachBows have won four Big West titles with the last coming in 2024. From there UH aims to make it back to the NCAA Tournament, after missing out on the postseason for just the second-time ever last year.  This year’s tourney will run May 1-3 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

#HawaiiBVB