NEW ORLEANS – Indiana State Cross Country and Track and Field Program Director and Head Coach Angela Martin was selected as the 2025 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, it was announced Friday by the organization.
 
Martin, who was named the region’s coach of the year for the third straight season, was also named the MVC Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year. She guided Indiana State to its fourth straight MVC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship while also leading the Blue and White to the MVC Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field titles during the 2024-25 campaign.
 
The Sycamores scored 208 points on the men’s side, eclipsing the 200-point mark for the second straight season and becoming the first school since Northern Iowa in 2008 and 2009 with back-to-back 200-point championships on the men’s side. The Sycamores’ four-peat as conference champions was the second in program history, having also accomplished the feat from 2011-14.
 
Indiana State surpassed the 200-point mark on the men’s side for the second straight season with 208, winning the MVC title by more than 50 points for a second straight year and completing back-to-back 200-point championship scoring totals for the first time in program history. The Sycamores finished with 140.5 points on the women’s side and won the conference title by more than 20 points for a second straight season.
 
As a team, Indiana State had six conference champions and 18 all-conference honorees in its 2025 MVC Championship run. The Sycamores broke four program records (Casey Hood – 100m; Will Staggs – pole vault; Wyatt Puff – shot put; Emerson Fayman, Trent Jones, Caden Emmert, Jason Dworak – distance medley relay) and set 24 program top-10 marks during the course of the 2024-25 season.
 
The Sycamores continued to make noise on the national stage this season, with 11 men’s entries in the 2025 NCAA East First Round, marking the third straight season with double-digit men’s entries in the regional round. Will Staggs qualified for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, where he placed in the top 10 nationally in the pole vault and was a Second Team All-American, while Wyatt Puff broke the school record in the shot put at the NCAA East First Round. Of the 11 entries for the Blue and White at the NCAA East First Round, eight placed above where they were seeded entering the competition, showcasing the Sycamores’ ability to compete with the best in the nation.
 
Indiana State also had a pair of men’s track and field athletes earn MVC specialty awards this season, continuing their trend of being among the best in the conference under Martin’s direction. Casey Hood Jr. was named the MVC Most Valuable Athlete at the MVC Outdoor Championships after scoring 20.5 points across three events, and he was also the MVC Most Outstanding Men’s Track Athlete as the highest-ranked athlete among conference champions. Will Staggs was named the MVC Elite 18 Award winner, which goes to the student-athlete with the highest GPA to also medal at the conference championships.
 
Friday’s announcement marks the sixth Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honor for Martin in her career, having earned two men’s coach of the year honors (2023 outdoor, 2024 outdoor, 2025 outdoor) and three women’s coach of the year accolades (2013 outdoor, 2022 indoor, 2025 indoor). Martin has earned at least one Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honor in each of the last four seasons.
 
Follow the Sycamores

For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 

– #MarchOn –

MPOLO6/20/2025 10:19 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Golden Bears To Face Challenging Slate Of Opponents

The California men’s water polo team announced a challenging 2025 schedule Friday, highlighted by all four semifinalists from last year’s NCAA Championship and at least eight opponents who finished 2024 ranked in the final CWPA poll.

The Golden Bears, who wrapped up last season ranked No. 6 in the country, open the campaign Aug. 30-31 at the Air Force Open. Their first regular-season home game takes place Sept. 27 against Pepperdine.

Cal’s MPSF opener is scheduled for Oct. 4 against defending national champion UCLA at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Bears will face 2024 NCAA runner-up USC the next day.

Cal has home and away MPSF games against UCLA, USC and Stanford – three of the four semifinalists at last year’s NCAA Championships. The fourth semifinalist – Fordham – visits Berkeley on Oct. 23.

The Bears will also participate in the annual MPSF Invitational, which features eight of the top teams in the country. The MPSF Championship and the 2025 NCAA Championship will be hosted by Stanford.

Cal also is slated to host two of the top water polo clubs in Europe an exhibition tournament Sept. 1-5. Club Natacio Atletic-Barceloneta (CNAB) – the 2025 Champions League bronze medalist – as well as perennial French league champion CN Marseille will visit Berkeley. Recently graduated Cal All-American Max Casabella plays for CNAB.

 

 

Head coach Dan Fisher and the Pitt volleyball program have received two commitments for the Class of 2027.

Over the last two days, Kyla Williams and Peyton Kubik have announced their commitments to the Pitt program.

Williams is a 6-foot-4 middle blocker along with playing on the right side and attends Gilmour Academy in Gate Mills, Ohio, 15 miles from Cleveland. This is the same high school that former Pitt standout Emmy Klika attended (2021-24).

Williams helped lead Gilmour Academy to a 2024 OHSAA Division III state championship and had a tremendous season with 183 kills, 2.1 kills per set and 59 total blocks.

Courtesy Kyla Williams

Williams is rated by Prep Dig as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2027 from Ohio and the No. 12 overall player in the country.

Next week, Williams will play with Team USA at the NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Kubik also announced her commitment to the Panthers program.

The 6’2″ outside hitter attends Blue West Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas.

Courtesy Peyton Kubik

Last season, she led her team with 419 kills, 4.4 kills per set, 37 aces, 2.3 digs per set and only 12 reception errors on 423 attempts. This performance led Kubik to received 2024 MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors.

Kubik is rated by PrepVolleyball as the No. 8 overall recruit in the Class of 2027.

The addition of Williams and Kubik give Pitt 7 commitments over the next two seasons.

Williams and Zubik join 2026 commitments Ayanna Watson and Trinity Thompson from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Jessica Smallwood from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Isabella Hoppe from Pine-Richland High School and Lola Sageer from Liverpool, New York.

COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University athletics department recorded another stellar semester in the classroom, posting a 3.17 term grade point average during the Spring 2025 semester.
 
Across its 14 programs, the department holds a cumulative GPA of 3.21, with all but two programs recording a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better. In the Spring 2025 semester, all but two programs posted a term GPA of 3.00 or better.
 
“This semester’s academic achievements underscore the exceptional dedication and discipline demonstrated by our student-athletes, in addition to the focused and supportive learning environment created by our faculty, staff and university community,” said Director of Athletics Jim Curry. “As we hit new academic heights within our athletics programs, we our confident that a strong foundation is in place that will support a comprehensive culture of excellence as we prepare to embark on full Division I membership status this fall.”
 
Individually, 229 student-athletes (which represents 72 percent of all student-athletes) posted term GPAs of 3.00 or better during the spring semester, including 70 student-athletes that posted perfect 4.0 GPAs. The 229 student-athletes with 3.00 or better term GPAs is the most for the department in the Division I era and most since the COVID-19 affected Spring 2020 semester.
 
Here is the list of the 10 programs that record term GPA of 3.00 or better during the Spring 2025 semester.
 

 

East Texas A&M also graduated 65 Lion student-athletes during May commencement ceremonies. In the fall, an additional 18 student-athletes participated in the December commencement ceremonies.
 
“Our student-athletes continue to raise the bar both on the playing surface and in the classroom. This semester’s achievements reflect the dedication of our student-athletes, as well as the support of our coaches and academic staff, and the strength of our university community,” said provost Dr. Tammi Vacha-Haase. “We are proud to celebrate their success as scholars and leaders on this campus.”
 
In the 2024-25 academic year, 230 student-athletes were listed on the SLC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, which is the most in an academic year since joining the conference. Following a record-breaking fall, 118 student-athletes in the spring and winter sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, men’s track and field, and women’s track and field were named to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, which is a new record for the spring.
 
Below is the list of the 229 student-athletes that recorded a term GPA of 3.00 or above in the spring. Those marked with a ‘*’ earned a perfect 4.0 semester GPA.
 
 
MEN’S BASKETBALL

 
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

 
FOOTBALL

 
MEN’S GOLF

 
WOMEN’S GOLF

 
SOCCER

 
SOFTBALL

 
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK & FIELD

 
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK & FIELD

 
VOLLEYBALL

 

-ETAMU-

Penn State volleyball instantly received two class of 2027 commitments once coaches were legally allowed to contact rising juniors. Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley is still dominating the recruitment field as the Nittany Lions received its third commit in two days.

Alongside right-side hitter Nejari Crooks and middle blocker Taylor Harrington, outside hitter Olivia Henry announced that she, too, will be heading to Happy Valley for her NCAA career.

Could Penn State volleyball have the No. 1 class of 2027 recruiting class?

All three front row players are high ranked recruits, with Harrington being the lowest at No. 16. Now with Henry joining the court, the Nittany Lions have the No. 2 overall recruit from the class of 2027. She’s also the No. 1 outside hitter of the class. Henry will also play with future teammate and incoming freshman Gabrielle Nichols before attending Penn State. The outside hitter, like Nichols, will play for the 2025 Girls U19 National Team.

For the next few seasons, the outside hitter group will have a lot to prove. Aside from the No. 2 class of 2027 recruit committing to Penn State, the Nittany Lions currently have two Big Ten All-Freshman Team and two incoming freshman vying for an open starter spot. Since Jess Mruzik graduated after the 2025-26 season, the outside hitter position will be up for grabs and can continue to change depending on incoming recruits.

Moving beyond the early stages of 2027 recruiting, eyeing back row players will round out Schumacher-Cawley class. Even though there are young defensemen that will likely stay with the program, the class of 2026 is scarce when it comes to defensive specialists. Libero Gillian Grimes is also graduating after the 2025-26 season, so having a defensive focus going further with the class of 2027 will prepare the Nittany Lions for years to come.

So what does this mean for Penn State?

After winning the championship title, it’s unsurprising that Schumacher-Cawley is dominating the recruitment realm, even beyond the class of 2026. Having representation on national levels outside of the NCAA, like the Girls U19 National Team and U19 Pan American Cup, keeps all eyes on Penn State.

Not only will Schumacher-Cawley have one of the top, if not the No. 1, 2027 recruitment classes but it should be expected for Penn State to be one of the top recruitment leaders for the next few years.

Having these early verbal commits from some of the top recruits in the nation mixed with high-profile transfers, like outside hitter Emmi Sellman, will only make the Nittany Lions stronger down the line. Even with a difficult schedule ahead for the 2025-26 season, and most likely for the next few seasons to come, the talent on the current and future rosters can live up to the challenge.

Another Big Ten title win is well within reach for Schumacher-Cawley’s group, and potentially more NCAA titles. Continuing to grow on the 2024-25 foundation will open doors for Penn State to become a consistently elite program as it was in the late 2000s and early 2010s.