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Leinster winning streak ended as 14

Published

9 months ago

March 22, 2025

URC: Bulls 21 Leinster 20

“Marcell [Coetzee, Bulls captain] will know Will well from his days at Ulster, and Will has always been good at chopping the opposition down,” said Cullen. SCORING SEQUENCE – 2 mins: Johannes pen 3-0; 3: Barrett try, Byrne con 3-7; 17: Byrne pen 3-10; Half-time 3-10; 40: Johannes pen 6-10; 43: Osborne try, Byrne con 6-17; 57: Penalty try 13-17; 70: Grobbelaar try 18-17; 77: Byrne pen 18-20; 84: Kriel pen 21-20Leinster were happy to move the ball wide and did so swiftly, while also keeping the Bulls on their toes with clever stab kicks. The hosts looked dangerous on occasion when they opened up, but Leinster’s scramble defence managed to contain them and also pressured them into unforced errors.Replacements: J Wessels for Kirsten (19 mins), J Grobbelaar for Van der Merwe (40), M Van Staden for Hanekom (47), M Smith for Louw (52), Z Burger for Papier (60), D Williams for Johannes (70), N Carr for Kirsten (74).“The focus over the next couple of days will just be to recover from a very physical game against the Bulls and then prepare well for Durban.”LEINSTER: J O’Brien; T O’Brien, H Cooney, J Barrett, A Osborne; R Byrne, L McGrath (capt); J Boyle, J McKee, R Slimani; RG Snyman, D Mangan; M Deegan, W Connors, J Culhane.“At the end of that, we probably just weren’t good enough today and we’ll take a lot of good learning from the game. Some of the young guys out there, in particular, will be better for the experience.” “You could see that today; he’s an amazing tackler and throws his body into it. He’s brave, a great character in the group and it was fantastic to see the 80 minutes he produced today.”

Jimmy O’Brien in action for Leinster. Photograph: Inpho/Steve Haag Sports/Christiaan Kotze

“The two teams were going hard at it, and it certainly wasn’t the prettiest contest,” said Cullen.Leinster led 10-6 at the break but would have expected a bigger return given their superiority in the opening 40 minutes.With two minutes left, Byrne was on target with a penalty to put Leinster two ahead, but when the Bulls forced yet another penalty from the scrum in the 84th minute, centre David Kriel stepped up and secured the three points to snatch the win.Yellow card: Tshakweni (14 mins).Openside flanker Will Connors was a standout performer in this regard, putting in 12 tackles and scooping the Man of the Match spoils despite Leinster’s defeat.

The Bulls' Willie le Roux. Photograph: Inpho/Steve Haag Sports/Christiaan Kotze — The Bulls’ Willie le Roux. Photograph: Inpho/Steve Haag Sports/Christiaan Kotze

Leinster started conceding an alarming number of scrum penalties in the second half, and in the 72nd minute the Bulls mauled replacement hooker Johan Grobbelaar over to take a one-point lead.Yellow card: Clarkson (57 mins).“There were some discipline issues, and the Bulls’ main strength is that they get you down in the corner and then drive for the line. You just need to get the balance right between the effort part and being disciplined in what you do, especially away from home,” said Cullen.Replacements: A Soroka For Culhane (7 mins), I Soroka for Culhane (8), S Penny for Deegan (10), C Frawley for Byrne (21-30), F Gunne for Osborne (27), S Smyth for McKee, T Clarkson for Slimani, B Deeny for Soroka (all 47).“We were very close to winning the game, but some penalties let the Bulls back into the contest, and that was a big learning for us. BULLS: W Le Roux; S de Klerk, D Kriel, H Vorster, S Jacobs; K Johannes, E Papier; A Tshakweni, A van der Marwe, W Louw; R Vermaak, JF van Heerden; M Coetzee (capt), J Kirsten, C Hanekom.“In the first half, we had to manage quite a few disruptions with HIAs, yet I thought our guys adapted pretty well. The challenge is when you lose two players within the first 10 minutes, and that probably showed a little bit in how the game unfolded later on. The Bulls gradually grew in stature after the break, but still Leinster managed to keep them at bay with staunch defence. Eventually, in the 58th minute, the Bulls were awarded a penalty try when Thomas Clarkson collapsed the maul and was yellow-carded. Referee: B Whitehouse (WRU).The next stop for Leinster is Durban, where the Sharks are circling.Red card: De Klerk (74 mins).A long-distance Bulls penalty in the 84th minute sank Leinster, but head coach Leo Cullen feels the loss provides a good learning curve for his squad.It was their first defeat of the 2024/25 United Rugby Championship, going down 21-20 in a heart-stopping encounter at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.“It won’t get any easier. The Sharks are a top team, well-coached and another great challenge for us away from home,” said Cullen. “It is not a nice way to lose the game at the end like that; we put in a lot of effort to get to the point where we were in the lead with 83 minutes on the clock, and then that penalty goes over.

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Track & Field opens indoor campaign at Winston-Salem College Kickoff

Published

12 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams opened their indoor season at the Winston-Salem College Kickoff on Saturday,

In total three athletes hit NCAA DII provisional marks, two on the men’s side and one on the women’s. Sophomore Havyn Spain, fresh off an outdoor nationals appearance in the 400, ran a blistering 21.33 in the 200m to take fourth overall and first out of all DII finishers. His time is the third fasted time in DII this year and doubles as the third fastest indoor 200m time in program history. Fellow sophomore Antonyio Davis set a new personal best in the 60m with a time of 8.13, which ranks 17th in DII and third all-time in program history.

Competing for the first time in a Bear uniform, junior transfer Mackenzie Pringle has already stamped her name in the Bear record books. Her triple jump mark of 11.89m (39-0.25) not only hit the NCAA DII provo mark, but also ranks second all time in Lenoir-Rhyne history.

“I thought our kids competed really well. We had a ton of lifetime bests, and over a dozen LR Top-10 all time performances,” said Director of Track & Field Bob Braman. “Our stars really competed well. Both Sharonda Priester and Mackenzie Pringle had double Top-3 LR all-time performances, and Antonyio Davis and Havyn Spain dropped LR Top 3 all-time races. Those four led the way with performances just shy of likely national qualifying marks. Overall I’m pleased and surprised at how ready most of our athletes were for such an early meet.”

Men – Top Finishers

200m Dash
60m Hurdles
Pole Vault
Triple Jump

Women – Top Finishers

200m Dash
60m Hurdles
Triple Jump

Lenoir-Rhyne will be off for Christmas before returning in January to take part in the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track on Saturday, January 17th.

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No. 25 Women’s Volleyball Falls to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round – Penn State

Published

13 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 25 Penn State’s 45^th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the second round Saturday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19) loss to No. 3 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions close the season at 19-13 overall, while the Longhorns move on with a record of 25-3.

The loss snapped Penn State’s seven-match NCAA Tournament winning streak, which included six victories on the way to last year’s national title. The Nittany Lions remain second in the nation with eight national titles, trailing only Stanford’s nine.

Kennedy Martin tallied 16 kills for Penn State and has now recorded double-digit kills for the 83^rd-consecutive match when she plays at least three sets. Caroline Jurevicius finished with seven kills, while Emmi Sellman chipped in with five.

Gillian Grimes wrapped up an outstanding collegiate career with a team-high 11 digs. She leaves Penn State as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, making the first team this season and the second team as a junior last season. She now turns her attention to the pro ranks, where she will play for the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball. Grimes was recently picked by the Mojo in the third round of the MLV Draft.

Torrey Stafford led Texas to the win, hitting .556 with 21 kills. Abby Vander Wal joined her in double-digits with 10 kills, while Cari Spears was next with nine.

Penn State now holds an 11-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas. The teams are knotted at 2-2 in NCAA Tournament matchups against each other.

Saturday’s matchup featured the past three national champions as Texas won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Penn State took home the trophy last season.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.

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Sooners Wrap Season-Opening Weekend in Boston

Published

28 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON — The Oklahoma track and field team capped competition at the esteemed Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday.

Five Sooners competed in the invite, highlighted by top-20 finishes in the men’s 5K by sophomores Evans Biwott and Ronald Ngetich.

Sophomore Leah Jeruto was the only OU female to take the stage, finishing the women’s 5K in 15:55.33 for 30th place.

Biwott led the Sooner men in the 5K, finishing the race in a personal-best 13:35.81 for 17th place (out of more than 200 competitors) and the second-fastest time in OU history. Ngetich crossed the line in 13:36.71, good for 19th place and the No. 4 time in OU annals. Shadrack Kiptoo (13:58.70) and Thobias Cheruiyot (14:08.93) rounded out OU’s performances for the day.

The Sooners return to action Jan. 16 at home for the Owen Hewett Invitational.

For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.

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2025 DII women’s volleyball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

Published

30 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Here’s everything you need to know leading up to the first round of the 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship.

The championship bracket was revealed during a selection show on Monday, Nov. 24, live streamed here on NCAA.com. Twenty-three teams earned automatic qualification, with the remaining 41 teams selected at-large by the Division II Women’s Volleyball Committee. Teams from each of the eight regional sites received initial seeds Nos. 1-8.

🏆 Watch live: 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship rounds

2025 DII women’s volleyball championship bracket

Click or tap here for the 2025 interactive bracket

2025 NCAA DII women’s volleyball schedule

Quarterfinals: Thursday, Dec. 11
Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 12
National Championship: Saturday, Dec. 13

Selection show: 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 24
Regionals: Dec. 4-6
- Thursday, Dec. 4
  - No. 3 Indiana (Pennsylvania) 3, No. 6 Fairmont State 0
  - No. 3 Anderson (South Carolina) 3, No. 6 Augusta 1
  - No. 3 Lynn 3, No. 6 UAH 2
  - No. 6 Washburn 3, No. 3 Wayne State (Nebraska) 0
  - No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 6 Molloy 2
  - No. 2 East Stroudsburg 3, No. 7 Charleston (West Virginia) 0
  - No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 6 Quincy 2
  - No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 3, No. 7 Lander 1
  - No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 3, No. 2 UCCS 2
  - No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 6 Western Washington 0
  - No. 2 Barry 3, No. 7 Eckerd 0
  - No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 7 Central Oklahoma 0
  - No. 7 Holy Family 3, No. 2 Adelphi 2
  - No. 7 Rockhurst 3, No. 2 Ohio Dominican 0
  - No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 6 Lubbock Christian 1
  - No. 5 Flagler 3, No. 4 Carson-Newman 1
  - No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 8 Fayetteville State 0
  - No. 7 Central Washington 3, No. 2 Simon Fraser 2
  - No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 8 Spring Hill 0
  - No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 1 Missouri-State Louis 2
  - No. 4 St. Cloud St. 3, No. 5 Missouri Western 1
  - No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 8 Bridgeport 1
  - No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 8 Colorado Mesa 0
  - No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 4, No. 5 Shepherd 0
  - No. 4 West Florida 3, No. 5 Palm Beach Atl. 2
  - No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 8 Emmanuel (Georgia) 1
  - No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 8 CSUSB 2
  - No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 3, No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist 2
  - No. 5 Post 3, No. 4 American Int’l 1
  - No. 5 Findlay 3, No. 4 Wayne State (Michigan) 2
  - No. 4 West Tex. A&M 3, No. 5 CSU Pueblo 1
  - No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 3, No. 4 Alas. Anchorage 0
- Friday, Dec. 5
  - No. 2 Barry 3, No. 3 Lynn 0
  - No. 3 Indiana (PA) 3, No. 2 East Stroudsburg 1
  - No. 3 Anderson (SC) 3, No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 1
  - No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 7 Holy Family 1
  - No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 6 Washburn 0
  - No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 7 Rockhurst 0
  - No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 0
  - No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 5 Post 1
  - No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 7 Central Washington 2
  - No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 1
  - No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 4 West Florida 1
  - No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 5 Flagler 1
  - No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 5 Findlay 1
  - No. 4 St. Cloud State 3, No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 1
  - No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 4 West Tex. A&M 1
  - No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 1
- Saturday, Dec. 6

NCAA DII women’s volleyball championship history

Here is the full list of champions and runners-up since 1981:

Year	Champion (Record)	Coach	Score	Runner-Up	Site
2024	Lynn (33-3)	Adam Milewski	3-2	San Francisco St.	Sioux Falls, SD
2023	Cal State LA (24-10)	Juan Figueroa	3-1	West Texas A&M	Moon Township, PA
2022	West Texas A&M (33-4)	Kendra Potts	3-1	Concordia-St. Paul	Seattle, Wash.
2021	Tampa (34-2)	Chris Catanach	3-0	Washburn	Tampa, FL.
2020	Canceled due to Covid-19	—	—	—	—
2019	Cal State San Bernardino (33-0)	Kim Cherniss	3-1	Nebraska-Kearney	Denver, Co.
2018	Tampa (33-4)	Chris Catanach	3-2	Western Washington	Pittsburgh, Pa.
2017	Concordia-St. Paul (34-3)	Brady Starkey	3-0	Florida Southern	Pensacola, Fla.
2016	Concordia-St. Paul (32-4)	Brady Starkey	3-0	Alaska Anchorage	Sioux Falls, S.D.
2015	Wheeling Jesuit (39-4)	Christy Benner	3-0	Palm Beach Atlantic	Tampa, Fla.
2014	Tampa (33-1)	Chris Catanach	3-0	S’west Minnesota State	Louisville, Ky.
2013	Concordia-St. Paul (35-3)	Brady Starkey	3-0	BYU-Hawaii	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2012	Concordia-St. Paul (34-4)	Brady Starkey	3-2	Tampa	Pensacola, Fla.
2011	Concordia-St. Paul (34-2)	Brady Starkey	3-0	Cal State San Bernardino	Cal State San Bernardino
2010	Concordia-St. Paul (32-4)	Brady Starkey	3-1	Tampa	Louisville, Ky.
2009	Concordia-St. Paul (37-0)	Brady Starkey	3-0	West Texas A&M	Concordia-St. Paul
2008	Concordia-St. Paul (37-1)	Brady Starkey	3-2	Cal State San Bernardino	Concordia-St. Paul
2007	Concordia-St. Paul (36-4)	Brady Starkey	3-1	Western Washington	Washburn
2006	Tampa (35-1)	Chris Catanach	3-1	North Alabama	West Florida
2005	Grand Valley State (32-1)	Deanne Scanlon	3-1	Nebraska-Kearney	Nebraska-Kearney
2004	Barry (34-1)	Dave Nichols	3-1	Truman	Barry
2003	North Alabama (33-7)	Matt Peck	3-0	Concordia-St. Paul	Cal State San Bernardino
2002	BYU-Hawaii (27-2)	Wilfred Navalta	3-0	Truman	West Texas A&M
2001	Barry (32-2)	Dave Nichols	3-0	South Dakota State	Grand Valley State
2000	Hawaii Pacific (28-0)	Tita Ahuna	3-0	Augustana (S.D.)	Augustana (S.D.)
1999	BYU-Hawaii (30-2)	Wilfred Navalta	3-0	Tampa	Battle Creek, Mich.
1998	Hawaii Pacific (31-5)	Tita Ahuna	3-1	North Dakota State	Kissimmee, Fla.
1997	West Texas A&M (37-1)	Debbie Hendricks	3-2	Barry	Cal State Bakersfield
1996	Nebraska-Omaha (35-2)	Rose Shires	3-2	Tampa	Central Missouri
1995	Barry (34-2)	Leonid Yelin	3-1	Northern Michigan	Barry
1994	Northern Michigan (32-4)	Mark Rosen	3-1	Cal State Bakersfield	Cal State Bakersfield
1993	Northern Michigan (38-1)	Jim Moore	3-1	Cal State Bakersfield	Northern Michigan
1992	Portland State (36-1)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-2	Northern Michigan	Portland State
1991	West Texas A&M (36-2)	Jim Giacomazzi	3-0	Portland State	West Texas A&M
1990	West Texas A&M (38-1)	Kim Hudson	3-0	North Dakota State	Cal State Bakersfield
1989	Cal State Bakersfield (21-15)	David Rubio	3-0	Sacramento State	Cal State Bakersfield
1988	Portland State (36-5)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-0	Cal State Northridge	North Dakota State
1987	Cal State Northridge (35-6)	Walt Ker	3-2	Central Missouri	Nebraska-Omaha
1986	UC Riverside (29-7)	Sue Gozansky	3-0	Cal State Northridge	Sacramento State
1985	Portland State (36-5)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-1	Cal State Northridge	Portland State
1984	Portland State (33-4)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-0	Cal State Northridge	Portland State
1983	Cal State Northridge (30- 6)	Walt Ker	3-2	Portland State	Florida Southern
1982	UC Riverside (31-5)	Sue Gozansky	3-0	Cal State Northridge	Cal State Northridge
1981	Sacramento State (28-6)	Debby Colbery	3-0	Lewis	UC Riverside

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Women’s T&F Opens Season at Diplomat Open

Published

54 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Lancaster, PA (December 6, 2025) – The DeSales University women’s track & field team opened its 2025-26 indoor season competing at the Diplomat Open at Franklin & Marshall College on Friday.

The Bulldogs posted four MAC qualifying times/marks in the final results.

Among the qualfying times were sophomore Kay Wiscount in the 800-meters taking first place with a time 2:19.89. Her time qualified her for both the MAC Championships and the AARTFC Championships later in the season.

Sophomore Sadie Fenstermaker also had MAC qualfiying marks in the shot put (9.90m) and weight throw (14.10m). Her weight throw mark was the fifth best in team history.

Junior Sophia Manidis also qualified for the MAC Championships with a 12.23m toss in the weight throw.

The Bulldogs won’t return to action till the New Year competing at the Blue and Grey Invitational on Jan. 17th.

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Dominique Brown Breaks Longstanding School Record As 31 Spartans Set PR’s at Visit Winston-Salem College Kick Off – University of South Carolina

Published

4 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – USC Upstate track and field began the indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick Off today.
The first meet of the season was a successful one, highlighted by freshman Dominique Brown breaking the school record in the women’s 400m with her time of 57.51. The previous school record has stood for 10 years.

Head Coach Carson Blackwelder said, “This was a great start to the track season. We have a very talented team with a lot of potential ahead of us.” A total of 31different Spartans all set personal records in today’s meet.

In addition to Brown, Jenelda Aristhil earned a top finish in both the weight throw and shot put. Michael Moody placed third in the men’s long jump, going a distance of 7.00m.

Coach Blackwelder continued to praise his team, saying, “The 400m runners did a great job on Saturday, and we saw some of the fastest times in school history. The throwers hit some big marks and achieved PRs all around.”

Top Performances (Women):

Dominique Brown – 400m- 57.51 – fifth place (School Record)

Jenelda Aristhil – Weight Throw – 16.96m – fourth place (third all-time in school history)

Shot Put – 12.40m – seventh place (10th all-time in school history)

Paden Bell – 400m – 59.77 (eighth all-time in school history)

Ayla Osterkamp – 400m – 59.85 (ninth all-time in school history)

Aryanna Perez – High Jump – 1.49m (10th all-time in school history)

Jamyllah Handy – Triple Jump – 11.17m (seventh all-time in school history)

Personal Bests (Women)

Brittany Benson– 60m, 200m

Dominique Brown– 60m

Mya Jackson– 60m

Aryanna Perez– 60m Hurdles

Richard’ia Allen– 200m

Paden Bell– 400m

Ayla Osterkamp– 400m

Nia Glover– 400m

Emma Grace Kutilek– 800m

Aryanna Perez– High Jump, Long Jump

Jamyllah Handy– Long Jump, Triple Jump

Jenelda Aristhil– Shot Put, Weight

Saniyah Joyner– Shot Put

Top Performances (Men):

Michael Moody – Long Jump – 7.00m – third place (fifth all-time in school history )

Quintavius James – 60m – 6.83 – fourth place

Jalen Clark – Long Jump – 6.95m – fifth place (sixth all-time in school history)

Collin Bui-Hayes – 60m – 6.88 – seventh place (fourth all-time in school history)

Jeremiah Harris – 200m – 21.53 – seventh place (second all-time in school history)

Shriyaan Krishnaraj – 400m – 48.94 (second all-time in school history)

Elias Harrison – 800m -1:57.98 – 7th place

Pierce Mosley – Shot Put – 14.46m (sixth all-time in school history

Weight – 15.48m – sixth place

Joshua Sterling – Weight- 17.52m – 3rd place (fourth all-time in school history)

Shot Put – 13.68m (10th all-time in school history)

Hunter, Walston, Ruff, Krishnaraj – 4x400m – 2:22.12 – fifth place

Personal Bests

Collin Bui-Hayes– 60m

Evan Daniels– 60m

Jared Isley– 60m Hurdles

ZaCorian Johnson– 200m

Khalif Walston– 200m

Cason McKinney– 200m

Jeremiah Harris– 200m

Shriyaan Krishnaraj– 400m

Chandler Hunter– 400m

Jacob Ruff– 400m

Aidan Kenny– High Jump

Michael Moody– Long Jump

Pierce Mosley– Shot Put

Joshua Sterling– Shot Put

Sam Ketch– Shot Put

Nathaniel Bruce– Shot Put

Tristan Pressley– Triple Jump

Jaylen Pressley– Triple Jump

Up Next for the Spartans

The Spartans resume the season in January, competing at the Tryon International Classic held on the 16th and 17th.

Connect with the Spartans

Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics

Twitter | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans

Instagram | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans

YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans

INVEST IN CHAMPIONS – Join the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF) and enjoy enhanced benefits for your support of all USC Upstate programs! Make your gift today, click here!

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