Sports

Lee Dukes and Tony Huffman bring home national titles in track and field

Published

4 months ago

August 15, 2025

Tony Huffman and Lee Dukes share several things in common.

Both men were both track and field standouts at Mississippi College (MC). Both took a break from running while they focused on their families and careers and returned to competing when they were in their 60s and still working full-time jobs.

Last month, each of them earned national titles in track and field at the Masters level.

Huffman, age 62, became the 2025 national champion for the 10K and 5,000-meter divisions in his age category (60-64) at the USATF Masters Track & Field competition at Huntsville in July. He also placed seventh in the 1,500-meter race.

Dukes, age 71, became the 2025 national champion in the 2,00-meter steeplechase in his age category (70-74) at the same competition. He is also the 2024 national champion.

“Masters is a way to continue to compete but not compete against 25-year-olds,” said Huffman, a Jackson resident who owns Huffman & Company, a public accounting firm in Flowood.

“I started this journey right at three years ago when I turned 60. I decided I wanted to get back into track and field and start racing at the Masters level, which is a growing competitive component of track and field.”

Huffman, who earned a track scholarship to MC, ran post-collegiately for 11 years and even had a sponsor who paid for his travel, entry fees and running shoes. He took a break from that 17 years ago after he broke his neck in two places body surfing in the Bahamas and had to be airlifted home and then post-recovery concentrated on his family and career.

At his first Masters national championship, Huffman finished “dead last” in his first race and discovered he needed to be more serious about training if he wanted to win.

“I was surprised at how good and competitive my age group was at the Masters level,” he said. “I ran what I considered a fast time and got beat significantly in my first race.”

For the 2025 national championship, he trained for three and half months doing speed work and long-distance runs.

“I trained hard,” he said. “I put in the mileage, lots of long distance runs and speed workouts where you train your body to run faster.”

He gave up a guilty pleasure, Dr. Pepper Blackberry, and sweets to drop his weight from 172 pounds to 157 pounds.

Between April and July, Huffman ran several 5Ks as training runs, including the Farm Bureau Watermelon Classic on the Fourth of July. When he finished in the Top 20 and was the first person over age 40 over the finish line, he knew he was ready for the nationals.

Huffman considered it to be to his advantage that the national championship location was in Alabama because unlike competitors from outside the Deep South, he was already used to the hot, muggy weather.

He brought home two medals, a ribbon and a patch that he will add to his USA team uniform, but collecting hardware isn’t everything that running at the Masters level is about.

“I’ve made a lot of friends, people I compete against several times a year,” said Huffman, who began running track his senior year in high school and went on to do so for four years at MC. “After the competition is over, we’re friends. We share training tips and try to help each other.”

Dukes began running when he was 14, earned a scholarship because of it to MC and stopped for about 14 years in his adulthood when family and career required attention. He started back competing at age 60 and chose steeplechase, an event that consists of five laps around a track and leaps over 18 barriers and five water jumps.

Last year, he won the national title in his age group and competed in the world championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. He ranks fourth in the world in his age group.

“It’s fun to see people of all ages running,” said Dukes, a Ridgeland resident. “Last year at the world championship, a woman confided to me that she had butterflies in her stomach before her run. She was 94.”

Dukes likes to run so much that he has competed in ultramarathons, which are anything longer than the 26.2-mile distance of marathon.

Three or four months before competition, he runs on the multi-purpose trails in Ridgeland and cross country trails and adds hurdles and sprints to his training.

“When you’re running trails, you know you’re going to fall,” he said. “When you’re in the woods, you know you’re going to encounter something unexpected, you know you’re going to see snakes, you have to plan to keep going and bounce back,” he said.

The cross country runs paid off at last year’s world championship when Dukes had a mishap. His foot caught on a wooden barrier, and he landed face first under water. “That’s what you don’t want to happen,” he said.

Both Huffman and Dukes keep a wardrobe of more than a dozen running shoes, which is necessary because they run on different surfaces.

Before a national competition, all competitors must show the shoes they plan to wear to race in to ensure they are regulation. They also must agree to random drug testing.

“Last year at the national event, two people were disqualified because they tested positive,” Dukes said. “It surprised me to learn that.”

Both Huffman and Dukes have been active in numerous community organizations and have for years promoted running.

Huffman is a founder of the Mississippi Blues Marathon and a past winner of the Mississippi Marathon. He was a member of the Mississippi Olympic Committee, served as a coordinator for the Olympic Torch Run and carried the Olympic flame as a torchbearer when it passed through Jackson in 1996.

He served as public relations chair for the Mississippi Track Club. He raised $50,000 for the Leukemia Society as part of its team-in-training program by running three marathons.

Vice president of clinical outcomes of the virtual preventive care company Catapult Health, Dukes served as the first executive director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

“I interviewed with Gov. (William) Winter, and I told him I voted for his opponent,” he said, recalling that Winter graciously shrugged it off and told him he didn’t recall that the job description asked who he voted for.

Dukes helped the Philadelphia Sertoma Club establish the Heart O’ Dixie Triathlon, which starts with a swim at Lake Tiak O’ Khata in Louisville and ends up with a run concluding on the horse racing track at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds, in 1980.

“It’s still going on,” he said. “It’s the oldest continuous triathlon in the 48 states.”

Tony Greer, who roomed with Huffman at Mississippi College and was a member of the track team with him, praised the two men for their discipline in training and their performance at the national championship.

“As a Masters runner, you have to listen to your body, get sleep and rest and recover when training,” he said. “They run lots of miles.”

Greer watched both men interact with the other runners at the national championship.

“There’s a tremendous amount of respect for Lee among the athletes,” he said. “Tony is really new, but he’s back in the game.”

Greer, an assistant track and field coach at Mississippi State University who specializes in pole vault, said both men ran “textbook races” at the nationals.

“It’s something they learned at Mississippi College,” he said. “They knew when to draft, when take the lead and when to hold back,” he said. “They did it beautifully. It was a beautiful thing to see.”

Both Huffman and Dukes plan to continue competing.

“Don’t underestimate us old guys,” Huffman said. “We still have it in us.”

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KSR Today: Volleyball Ends, Basketball Rolls On

Published

2 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Good morning, KSR readers. It’s Monday morning of Christmas week. Can you believe it? Ready or not, it’s here, so get that last-minute shopping in. Maybe I’ll see you out there, right after I get these decorations put up.

In addition to Christmas anxiety, we’re coming off an emotional weekend in Big Blue Nation. Sunday didn’t pan out the way we hoped in the NCAA Volleyball Final Four, but Saturday in Atlanta gave us some excitement with Mark Pope’s Wildcats finally getting a top-25 win in the CBS Sports Classic, leaning on the depth of a full roster.

There is more UK fun ahead, so what do you say we catch up on everything as the holidays close in? And let me know if you have any last-minute shopping ideas, or if you want to put the ornaments on my Christmas tree.

Kentucky Volleyball swept by A&M in the NCAA Championship

This one was tough to wrap your head around. Kentucky Volleyball‘s incredible season came to a disappointing end Sunday in Kansas City, as the Wildcats were swept 3-0 by Texas A&M in the NCAA Championship match. It never felt like this was how it was supposed to end. Kentucky had set point in the opening set at 24-23, but Texas A&M closed on a 3-0 run, and it was all Aggies from there.

The Wildcats struggled to find their rhythm after that moment during one of the worst performances of the season. A&M was the far better team for the afternoon and had the majority of the crowd, winning the final two sets 25-15 and 25-20. The loss snapped a 27-match winning streak and was a shocking finish for a team that had been so steady and dominant all season, and was favored to win.

Still, Craig Skinner’s NCAA runner-up group deserves appreciation. Kentucky finishes 30-3, swept the SEC regular season and tournament titles, and reached the national championship for the second time in program history. Yeah, the ending hurt, but the Wildcats brought a lot of joy and excitement to the fan base, and the program is built to be back on this stage again next season. Sunday’s final still stings for now, though.

Mark Pope’s Wildcats host Bellarmine in Rupp Arena tomorrow

Now at full strength, Kentucky Basketball returns to Rupp Arena tomorrow for a pre-Christmas matchup with Bellarmine, looking to keep momentum rolling before the short holiday break. The Wildcats have won three straight games, including wins over Indiana and St. John’s, and are starting to look more comfortable on both ends of the floor after a disappointing start to the year.

Bellarmine, ranked No. 260 in KenPom, catches Kentucky at a bad time. However, the Knights also snapped out of a recent funk with a 15-point win over Chattanooga. Bellarmine is 5-6 entering Tuesday’s game, set for 1 p.m. in the afternoon. It’s a streaming-only game on SEC Network+.

Q&A with Jayden Quaintance and Kam Williams

Fresh off his Kentucky debut, Jayden Quaintance gets a turn at the podium to preview Kentucky’s next game. He and Kam Williams, who also starred in Saturday’s comeback win, will take questions about the matchup with Bellarmine and the upcoming holiday break. You can watch those conversations here at KentuckySportsRadio.com later today.

Hear from Mark Pope during his call-in show

After Quaintance and Williams speak for the locker room, Mark Pope will sit down with Tom Leach for his Monday night call-in radio show. Hear from Pope at 6 p.m. on the UK Sports Network, as he recaps the win over St. John’s and more on the team’s three-game winning streak.

Kentucky climbing the NET, maybe the Top 25

With Saturday’s win, Kentucky climbed the NET Rankings up to No. 23. Later today, we’ll find out if the win was enough to move the Wildcats back into the Top 25 polls. The AP and Coaches’ polls update around lunchtime for both men’s and women’s college basketball. Kenny Brooks’ squad enters the new week ranked No. 12/13.

Will Stein’s first coaching staff is taking shape

Will Stein is a busy man, balancing two jobs this holiday season. On Saturday, his Oregon Ducks scored 51 points in their first College Football Playoff game. Then on Sunday, news spread of Stein’s latest hire for his first staff in Lexington.

Former Cal assistant Allen Brown will serve as Kentucky Football‘s cornerbacks coach. Brown replaces Chris Collins, who joins Brad White and Jon Sumrall at Florida, and rounds out Stein’s list of assistant coaches for his first season at UK:

Joe Sloan: Offensive Coordinator
Jay Bateman: Defensive Coordinator
Cutter Leftwich: Offensive Line
Kolby Smith: Running Backs
Justin Burke: TBA
Joe Price III: Wide Receivers
Josh Christian-Young: Safeties
Anwar Stewart: Defensive Line
Tony Washington Jr: Pass Rushers
Allen Brown: Cornerbacks

Former Cal assistant to coach Kentucky’s cornerbacks

Tune in to KSR at 10 a.m.

Matt Jones hosts today’s show from New Orleans, where he will call his first football game for ESPN Radio tomorrow. Joining him via technology are Ryan Lemond and me in Lexington, and Shannon The Dude in Louisville. Together, we’ll recap the high and low weekend from 10 a.m. to noon. Go Cats.

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South Dakota earns three Summit League Academic All-League selections

Published

2 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota volleyball’s Avery Van Hook, Kamryn Farris and Amanda Loschen were named to the Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League team, announced the league office Monday.

South Dakota accounted for three of the seven spots on the Academic All-League team and was the only program to have multiple athletes named to the team. Van Hook has been named to the Academic All-League Team in consecutive seasons, while Farris and Loschen appeared on the team for the first time in their career.

The three Coyotes were also named to the 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team.

To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions.

Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s participating members, and voting is conducted by both SIDs and FARs. The teams are made up of ten student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.

2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team

Name	School	Yr.	Pos.	GPA	Major
Ally Barth	NDSU	Sr.	MB	3.94	Management Communication
Kamryn Farris	South Dakota	Sr.	DS	3.75	Business
Avery Van Hook**	South Dakota	Jr.	S	3.87	Kinesiology & Sport Management
Kali Jurgensmeier**	Omaha	Sr.	OH	3.82	Biology
Amanda Loschen	South Dakota	Jr.	MB	3.86	Medical Biology
Lauren Perugini**	North Dakota	Jr.	OH	4.00	Dietetics
Joslyn Richardson**	SDSU	Jr.	DS	4.00	Construction Management

*Career Academic All-League honors

Stay up to date with all things Coyotes by following South Dakota Athletics on Facebook /SDCoyotes, X (Twitter) @SDCoyotes, and Instagram @sdcoyotes! #GoYotes x #WeAreSouthDakota

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Sports

Tomashek named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech men’s basketball senior Marcus Tomashek has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for week six, the league office announced on Monday.

The honor marks the ninth of his career and the first of his senior season.

Tomashek, a standout from Green Bay, Wisconsin, averaged 30.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds to lead the No. 9 nationally-ranked Huskies to win over Florida Tech (64-52) before blitzing the high-flying offense of the Lynn Fighting Knights (105-67) at the Florida Tech Christmas Classic over the weekend to wrap non-conference play with a 11-1 record overall.

In the largest scoring game against a Division II opponent in over 15 years, Tomashek netted a season-high 39 points in the 105-67 win on 14-21 from the field and 11-17 from 3-point land, breaking the school record for single-game 3-point field goals made, surpassing fellow Husky All-Americans Kyle Monroe and Ben Stelzer. He also added four assists that helped the Huskies break the team record for most 3-point field goals made with 23.

Tomashek finished the weekend shooting 54.1 percent from the field (20-37), 50 percent from long range (14-28) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.

The Huskies resume GLIAC play next weekend, hosting Grand Valley State Thursday and Davenport on Saturday.

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Sports

SCAC Announces 2025 Fall All-Sportsmanship Teams

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) today announced its 18th annual fall All-Sportsmanship teams. A total of 63 student-athletes – the most since 2011-12 – were selected to the 2025 squad in the sports of men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball.

Since the inaugural All-Sportsmanship teams were honored in the fall of 2008, the SCAC has recognized over 2,500 student-athletes who each, in his or her own way, has displayed the league’s core belief in the value of honorable conduct.

For this year’s selections, each conference head coach was asked to elect one member from his or her team who displayed good sportsmanship throughout the season.

The 2025 SCAC All-Sportsmanship honorees for the fall sports season are listed below:

2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Cross Country Team
Centenary College – Zack Wroten, Fy., Benton, Louisiana
Colorado College – Luc Santos, Sr., Exeter, New Hampshire
Concordia University (Texas) – Gerardo Leal, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of Dallas – Martin Lane, So., Hot Springs, South Dakota
Hendrix College – Davin Barragan, Fy., Hot Springs, Arkansas
LeTourneau University – Austin Jett, Jr., Magnolia, Texas
McMurry University – Roman Perez, Sr., Big Spring, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Daniel Sanderson, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Sean Dansby, Jr., Pasadena, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Mason McFeeters, Jr., Lake Jackson, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Peyton Bristow, Fy., Round Rock, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Cross Country
Centenary College – Grayson Shugart, So., McKinney, Texas
Colorado College – Brooktie Frogge, Sr., Nashville, Tennessee
Concordia University (Texas) – Camille McWhorter, Jr., Humble, Texas
University of Dallas – Teresa Chshen, Jr., River Ridge, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Pippy Newell, Fy., Owasso, Oklahoma
LeTourneau University – Alayna Galloway, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
McMurry University – Madison Soultanova, Sr., Jacksonville, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Chloe Weathers, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Piper Hoeke, So., Boerne, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Alejandra Ramon, Jr., Klein, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Audrey Malbrough, So., Selma, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Football
Austin College – Evan Dennis, Sr., McKinney, Texas
Centenary College – Gideon Bowman, So., Destrehan, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Auvic White, Sr., Munford, Tennessee
Lyon College – Grayson Johnson, Jr., Anniston, Alabama
McMurry University – Kimani Smith, Sr., Austin, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Anthony Ortegon, Jr., Houston, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Soccer
Austin College – Justin Ajdukovich, Sr., Frisco, Texas
Centenary College – Joshua Mensah, So., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Colorado College – Will Jones, So., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Concordia University (Texas) – Steven Dolan, Jr., Bellevue, Washington
University of Dallas – Josh Longlois, So., Houston, Texas
Hendrix College – Charlie Mata, Sr., Houston, Texas
LeTourneau University – Nate Bransford, Sr., Kijabe, Kenya
McMurry University – Abel Gonzalez, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Hunter Robert, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
Schreiner University – Derek Toney, Fy., San Antonio, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Elijah Flores, Sr., Missouri City, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Preston Huff, Sr., Houston, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Soccer
Austin College – Lynna Martin, Fy., Paris, Texas
Centenary College – Anna Hobart, Fy., Natchitoches, Louisiana
Concordia University (Texas) – Lilianna Cherry, Jr., Kingwood, Texas
University of Dallas – Kit Gibbons, Sr., Tomball, Texas
Hendrix College – Ella Kelly, Sr., Webster Groves, Missouri
LeTourneau University – Clarissa Martinez, Sr., Richwood, Texas
McMurry University – Alexandria Flores, Jr., San Angelo, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Jayden Vazquez, So., Dardanelle, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Aspen Ulibarri, So., Clovis, New Mexico
University of St. Thomas – Bre Medina, Fy., Pearland, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Alysa Marquez, Jr., Miami, Florida

2025 All-Sportsmanship Volleyball
Austin College – Selah Coleman, Sr., Houston, Texas
Centenary College – Hannah Dimmel, Jr., Navasota, Texas
Colorado College – Meghan Gannon, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio
Concordia University (Texas) – Camryn Parker, Sr., Garland, Texas
University of Dallas – Breana Timms, Fy., Mansfield, Texas
Hendrix College – Lily Meyer, Sr., Omaha, Nebraska
LeTourneau University – Emma Smith, Sr., San Antonio, Texas
McMurry University – Jalie Miller, So., Rockwall, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Claire Zeiler, Fy., Paris, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Emma Frye, Jr., Tigard, Oregon
University of St. Thomas – Madi Baker, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, California
Texas Lutheran University – Ryann Ely, Sr., Montgomery, Texas

To view an archive of past All-Sportsmanship teams, click here.

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Sports

RICHARDSON NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota State junior Joslyn Richardson was one of four repeat honorees on the 2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team released by conference officials Monday. A total of seven volleyball athletes league-wide were named to the team that was voted on by the membership’s faculty athletic representatives and sports information directors.

Richardson, a two-time Summit League Scholar of the Championship presented by JLG Architects, collected the second all-academic honor of her career.

Richardson played every match as the Jackrabbits’ libero in 2025 and led the team in digs per set with 3.31. She also set a new program record with 41 ace serves this year.

To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions.

Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s ten institutions and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). The team is made up of the seven student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.

2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team

Name	School	Yr.	Pos.	GPA	Major
Ally Barth	NDSU	Sr.	MB	3.94	Management Communication
Kamryn Farris	South Dakota	Sr.	DS	3.75	Business
Avery Van Hook**	South Dakota	Jr.	S	3.87	Kinesiology & Sport Management
Kali Jurgensmeier**	Omaha	Sr.	OH	3.82	Biology
Amanda Loschen	South Dakota	Jr.	MB	3.86	Medical Biology
Lauren Perugini**	North Dakota	Jr.	OH	4.00	Dietetics
Joslyn Richardson**	SDSU	Jr.	DS	4.00	Construction Management

*Career Academic All-League honors

-GoJacks.com-

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Una Vajagic becomes first Badger Volleyball starter to transfer after national semifinal run | Sports

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MADISON, Wis. — In a surprising move on the volleyball court, Una Vajagic has announced that she is entering the transfer portal. This news is a stunner for Badger fans, as the sophomore ranked second on the team in kills and becomes the first Badger starter to leave since their national semifinal run.

Vajagic was expected to take on a larger role next season with the graduation of Mimi Colyer and Carter Booth. However, head coach Kelly Sheffield is already taking steps to replenish the roster, bringing in Florida’s Jaela Auguste, a Middle Blocker, and Eva Travis, an Outside Hitter from UC-Santa Barbara.

Looking ahead, there is promising news for Wisconsin volleyball. According to PrepDig, Wisconsin boasts the #1 recruiting class in the nation, incoming in 2026. This signals a bright future for the program despite the unexpected departure of Vajagic.

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