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Julian Harlan is the winner of the 2025 America’s Field Trip Contest.

ELKINS — Elkins High School sophomore Julian Harlan has been selected as the top essay award winner for the 2025 America’s Field Trip Contest, a national competition held in celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.

The prestigious award, which is organized by America250, highlights students who reflect on the question, “What does America mean to you?” Harlan’s essay brought attention to the challenges facing those from rural communities and the stereotypes that surround Appalachia.

“I’ve watched movies and television shows that claim to depict my home, only to see an exaggerated distortion — people with missing teeth, clad in overalls, speaking in a thick, almost foreign drawl,” Harlan writes in her essay. “These portrayals are far from the truth. The people of Appalachia are resourceful and hardworking. They innovate, build, and preserve traditions that define the true American Spirit.”

Harlan also writes in her essay that, “America is built on the promise of opportunity — a place where anyone, regardless of background, can achieve success through hard work and termination. But the reality is that opportunity is not as universal as we are led to believe.”

Harlan, who is the only recipient of any kind from West Virginia to win the contest, was rewarded with a trip to Texas for her essay win. Through a private guided tour, Harlan will explore more than 300 years of American history at the iconic Alamo in San Antonio. She will also visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin during her trip where she will be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour where she will see rare artifacts not typically on display to the public.

“We are really proud of Julian for winning this contest,” Harlan’s mother, Trenna Robinson, told the Inter-Mountain. “She was picked as one of 25 in the entire nation and was actually awarded the top essay in the United States. So it was a pretty big deal for her. She was happy that her teacher won $1,000 and she received an all expense paid trip.”

Harlan’s teacher, Amanda Sacks, was also awarded a $1,000 prize for her guidance in the nationwide competition, which drew entries from students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. 

Harlan is no stranger to success in academic competitions as she has captured back-to-back state titles in the West Virginia American Legion Oratorical. She finished runner-up at the national event in 2024 and in third place this year. 

“She has been doing some really cool things,” said Robinson. “I knew when she submitted her essay for this contest that it was a good one. It was really exciting when we found out that she had won.”

Harlan, who will depart for her trip to Texas on Aug. 5, has four siblings Taelynn Harlan, Levi Harlan, Sawyer Robinson and Barrett Robinson.  She is the daughter of George Harlan and Trenna and Brandon Robinson. 

Terri Runnels never wanted to wrestle.

After spending years as a manager in both WCW and WWE, Terri Runnels made her in-ring debut in 1999, teaming with Ivory, Jacqueline, and Luna against Debra, Mae Young, The Fabulous Moolah & Tori.

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Over the next three years, Runnels competed in a handful of matches, most of which were under the five minute mark.

In a new interview with Ring The Belle, Runnels recalled learning how to wrestle on the spot, despite begging Vince McMahon to not make her compete.

“Imagine getting to TVs. You love managing, you love everything about what you do, and then all of the sudden, one day they go, ‘Tonight, you’re going to wrestle in front of millions of people on live television.’ Not to mention the thousands and thousands in the arena that are packed here. We’re going to teach you what you’re going to do in about 10 minutes from now. Yeah, it was brutal. I begged Vince, please don’t make me wrestle. Yeah, it was pretty clear that I was going to wrestle.”

Runnels continued on and said that she preferred taking bumps from the guys.

“All these women and people want to be wrestlers and train for years and years just to be able to wrestle and I didn’t want to. I loved taking bumps from the guys, Kane picked me up from the neck and tossed me to the front row chairs, Dudleys put me through the table, great. But I did not want to wrestle and the bad thing was, I had to memorize it as if it were a ballet, which god forbid when they needed to go home early or stretch that match out, they’re like, ‘Terri is in the match, we can’t do either.’

Runnels had her last match in 2003, teaming with Lita against Gail Kim and Molly Holly.

Elsewhere in the interview, Runnels criticized the female legends segment on Raw’s 25th anniversary show. Check out her full comments on the matter by clicking here.

Indiana has extended an offer to one of the biggest risers of the spring, guard Kohl Rosario.

The 6-foot-5 Rosario played in front of the IU staff at the NBPA Top-100 Camp this week.

Rosario is in the 2026 class but is currently contemplating a reclassification to 2025.  Indiana has two open spots on the roster at the moment, pending waiver decisions for Luke Goode and Anthony Leal.  Rosario is currently 18.

From Miami, Fla., Rosario attended Overtime Elite this past season and now appears to be enrolled at Moravian Prep in North Carolina.  He averaged 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for the OTE Dreamerz this past season.

After a strong showing this spring, Rosario was bumped up from No. 91 to No. 27 at On3.  He’s a high-end 4-star prospect.

For spring and summer basketball, Rosario plays for Team CP3 on the Nike EYBL Circuit.  He’s been one of the best three-point shooters there, making 44.4% from long range on 45 attempts.  He’s averaging 14.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

IU will have ground to make up as Rosario has already started taking visits.  He just visited Oregon and Florida State, and has visits set with Duke, Kansas, and Miami.

For a complete look at IU’s 2026 through 2028 offers and prospects, GO HERE.

For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.   

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Two of Penn State wrestling’s brightest young stars have their hands full this weekend at Final X.

At 57 KG, Luke Lilledahl, going into his sophomore season, will take on Spencer Lee, who many believe will win an Olympic Gold Medal in 2028.

At 70 KG, PJ Duke, who just finished his senior year of high school, will take on a four-time NCAA champ in Cornell great Yianni Diakomihalis.

A spot in the World Championships, scheduled for this September in Croatia, is on the line.

NSN’s Joe Smeltzer talks with Zach Seyko of Locked On Nittany Lions to preview it all. Final X is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, in Newark, New Jersey.

Mason Howell, the youngest player in the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, won’t be playing the weekend, but he proved he belonged in the 156-player field.

The 17-year-old from Thomasville, Georgia, hovered around the cut line for more than half of the second round before ultimately being undone by a string of bogeys. Howell was in the middle of his final hole when second-round play was suspended because of lightning in the area. Howell had shot a +5 on the day and was sitting at 12-over for the tournament, with the projected cut sitting at +7.

Still, the incoming high senior recorded a better round than reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 7-over in the second round and missed the cut with a +10 for the tournament. Howell also carded the same score over two days as two-time major winner Justin Thomas and finished better than three-time major winner Justin Rose, who finished 14-over for the tournament.

After a par on his opening hole of the second round, Howell knocked in a birdie on hole No. 2 and followed with some tough par saves. But things started to unravel on the seventh hole, which began a string of four bogeys in six holes. He recorded an impressive birdie on No. 14, but he followed that up with three consecutive birdies to push him well below the projected cut line.

Howell, who gained a berth in the 2025 U.S. Open by tying for first at the qualifying tournament in Atlanta, has much to look forward to: his senior year at Brookwood School, where he will seek another state title, before heading to the University of Georgia in 2026 to play golf for the Bulldogs.

USA TODAY Sports followed Howell’s second round at the U.S. Open. Scroll below for a full recap:

Mason Howell US Open score, results

Mason Howell shot a 7-over-par 77 in the first round, hovering right around the cut line. Keep track of his second-round scores here.

Howell doesn’t finish final hole as round is suspended

The second round of the 2025 U.S. Open was suspended due to lightning in the area, with Howell still needing to finish his final hole. Howell had played his second shot, an approach from the primary rough on the par 4, 498-yard 18th hole, onto the fairway, leaving him 103 yards to the hole. Howell was among a handful of golfers who could not finish the round due to weather.

Mason Howell cards third consecutive bogey

The final hour of Howell’s stay at Oakmont has not gone well. He recorded his third consecutive bogey, carding a 5 on the par 4, 305-yard 17th hole. Howell dropped to 5-over for the round and +12 for the tournament with one hole remaining.

Mason Howell records bogey on hole No. 16

The dream of playing the weekend in the U.S. Open basically came to an end for Howell after a bogey on the par 3, 238-yard 16th hole. That bogey dropped the incoming high school senior to 4-over for the round and +11 for the tournament with two holes remaining and the projected cut still sitting at +7.

Mason Howell drops another shot after bogey on hole No. 15

One hole after an impressive birdie, Howell recorded his fifth bogey of the day on the par 4, 489-yard 15th hole to drop back to +10 for the tournament and +3 for the round. With the projected cut at +7, Howell would need to birdie each of his three remaining holes.

Mason Howell bounces back with birdie on hole No. 14

After recording a par on the par 3, 161-yard 13th hole, Howell scored just his second birdie of the day on the 14th. Howell’s second shot from the fairway on the 368-yard, par 4 hole landed just three feet from the cup, and he tapped in for his first birdie since hole No. 2. Howell now stands at +2 for the round and +9 for the tournament. The projected cut remains at +7.

Bogeys piling up for Mason Howell

After recording a par on the 406-yard, par 4 11th hole, Howell found immediate trouble on the 12th hole. His tee shot on the par 5, 647-yard hole landed in the intermediate rough, and his second shot traveled just 33 feet into the primary rough. His third shot put him back on the fairway, and his fourth landed on the green, but he could not connect on a 36-yard par putt. He tapped in for yet another bogey – his fourth in six holes – dropping him to 3-over for round and +10 for the tournament.

Mason Howell bogeys again as struggles continue

Howell recorded his third bogey in the past four holes as he began his back nine. Howell could not save par on the 10th hole and had to tap in for bogey on the par 4, 472-yard 10th hole. That dropped him to +9 for the tournament (+2 for the round) and below the cut line, which has been fluctuating from +7 to +8.

Mason Howell drops another shot on hole No. 9

Howell, who was sitting right on the cut line at +7, but he dropped another shot after a bogey on the par 4, 465-yard ninth hole. It was his second bogey of the day and second in three holes. He nearly made another impressive par save, but his fourth shot came up just inches from the hole. The bogey drops him to +1 for round and +8 for the tournament, one stoke over the projected cut.

Mason Howell saves par again on hole No. 8

Another erroneous tee shot on the par 3 eighth hole left Howell in danger of dropping another stroke, but he followed that up with a brilliant second shot from the immediate rough to leave himself a 6-foot putt for par. Howell connected to remain at Even for the round and +7 for the tournament, right on the cut line.

Mason Howell in danger of missing cut

Howell hit an erroneous tee shot on the par 4, seventh hole which landed in the left bunker. But the 17-year-old nearly made a miraculous par when his nearly 49-yard putt stopped just inches before the hole. He settled for a tap-in bogey and dropped to +7 for the tournament and even on the day.

Mason Howell saves par on hole No. 6

On the par 3, 192-yard sixth hole, Howell’s tee shot landed in the rough, leaving him in a perilous position to get up and down. His second shot left him roughly 9 feet from the hole, but he sank the ensuing par putt to remain at +6 for the tournament. The current projected cut line is +7.

Mason Howell knocks in another par

Howell came up just short on a 21-foot, 6-inch putt for birdie on the 420-yard, par 4 fifth hole, but he knocked in a 3-foot par putt to remain -1 for the day and +6 for the tournament.

Mason Howell holds steady at hole No. 4

Howell missed a prime opportunity for a birdie at the par-5 fourth hole, holding steady at 6-over. Howell tapped in for par after his fourth shot left him a couple of feet from the hole.

Mason Howell pars hole No. 3

Howell remains at 6-over for the tournament after getting up and down on the par 4, 454-yard third hole.

Mason Howell birdies hole No. 2

Howell began with a par on his opening hole of the second round. He followed that up with a birdie on the par 4, 359-yard second hole to move to 6-over.

What time does Mason Howell tee off Friday: US Open start time

Mason Howell will be in the 2:31 p.m. grouping off No. 1 alongside Joakim Langergren and Chris Gotterup.

• 2:31 p.m. (1): Joakim Langergren, Mason Howell (a), Chris Gotterupson Howell (a), Chris Gotterup