Every year a number of local high school athletes continue their athletic careers in addition to being students. As has been customary in the past, we salute those who either live in or attend school in Burbank and will be continuing to work on developing their skills in sports while enhancing their educational objectives.

Here are those that will represent our local community from the class of 2025,

Burbank

The Bulldogs are led by pole vaulter Ogden Lucsik, who was one of the best in the nation as a junior, and got a late start to his senior year due to a broken foot. Lucsik will be the only competing at Cornell University, but he is amongst four Burbank boys who are attending the Ivy League school in New York. Ironically, he will be attending the same university and competing in the same event as Burroughs 2021 grad Eli Gault-Crabb, who jumped 16-feet-6 inches in setting the Bears’ school record.

Lucsik, who holds the Bulldog school record at 16-0, will be essentially taking Gault-Crabb’s spot on the Cornell roster.

Softball pitcher Madison Kellogg will continue her career at California Baptist University in Riverside.

Football player Daniel Zacariaz will continue his career at Glendale Community College. Zacariaz is multi-talented having been both a quarterback and wide receiver for the Bulldogs.
Nose tackle Paul Sukunyan will continue his football career at Pasadena City College.

Tennis player Amruth Kodumuri will compete for Claremont Mudd-Scripps as he will be part prestigious of the Harvey Mudd engineering school.

Baseball player Robert Snyder will attempt to walk on at either UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara.

Burroughs

From the track team Quiana Laughlin will continue her career at UC Davis.

From the baseball team, Kyle Smith will continue his career at Whittier College.

Representing the Pacific League champion softball team, Chloe Centeno, will continue her career at Fort Hays St. University.

Tennis player Hannah Lewis will continue her career playing in Hawaii at Chaminade University.

Water polo player Harrison Siegel will continue his career at Pomona Pitzer.

The Burroughs football team will be well represented in college.
Mingus Allen will play at Macalester College in Minnesota.

Maximillian Batres, Colin Jimenez and Daniel Ortiz will continue playing at Pasadena City College. Patrick Lima will continue at College of the Canyons.

Providence

The Pioneers have a strong class. Distance runner Aubrey Eaton will continue her career at the University of Portland. She was the 2024 CIF Southern Section Division 4 champion in the 1,600 meters in track.

Softball player Delailah Lopez will continue her career in the Ivy League at Cornell.

Fellow softball player Gloria Galindo will play at Carleton College in Minnesota and teammate Mia Allinson will play at Glendale Community College.

Golfer Samantha Schwimmer will continue her career at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Beach volleyball player Shannon Ferrell will play at McKendree University in Illinois.

Brendan Jazmines will compete in cheer at Loyola Marymount University.

Village Christian

The Crusaders will send three Burbank residents into major college athletics.

Girls’ volleyball player Nikki Tawil will attend the University of Maryland. Teammate Angelina Dellutri, daughter of former Burroughs and USC football player Todd Dellutri, will attend UC Irvine.

Soccer player Anthony Boyadjian will continue his career at Loyola Marymount University.

Notre Dame

Hayden Bowne, grandson of former Burbank Mayor Bob Bowne, will attend San Jose State University and compete in football and track and field.

Homeschooled

Isabella ‘Maneh’ Nersesyan, who started her high school career at Burbank High, will continue her soccer career at Cal State Long Beach. She left BHS and went on her own due to her busy travel schedule, as she is a member of the Armenian National Team.

For the second time in a row at a national meet, junior Tara Townsend set a new personal best in the pole vault.

This time, her PR earned her the All-American honor she’s been working towards for the past three seasons.

Townsend was clean through her first three bars, clearing on the first attempt at 3.77, 3.92 and 4.07 meters to ensure herself of All-American honors after coming agonizingly close and falling short at the 2025 Indoor Championships in March. Her All-American spot ensured, Townsend also cleared 4.17 meters on her third attempt to set a new high mark for her career, finishing in eighth place to bring home a trophy for Hillsdale. The new personal best means Townsend is just the second vaulter in Hillsdale College history to clear that height, behind only Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Famer Kayla Caldwell.

Townsend wasn’t the only standout for Hillsdale at the national level in the pole vault this year, as senior Kaylee Jackson also had an impressive day. Jackson was seeded 21st out of 22 jumpers entering the competition but made a massive leap up the standings with smooth first attempt clears at 3.77 and 3.92 meters, helping her finish alone in ninth place on the day in her first ever national meet appearance. Jackson had an excellent attempt at 4.07 meters for what would have been a new personal best, but just barely missed.

On the track, Evyn Humphrey also finished an impressive freshman season at Hillsdale with a 10th place finish in the 1,500m run finals. Humphrey surged late, passing two runners on the final lap, but couldn’t reel in enough of her competitors to get into eighth place and earn All-American honors. Humphrey was one of just two freshmen in the final, and her 4:38.49 time and 10th place show she’ll be in the running to get that first All-American honor again in the future.

Hillsdale junior Averi Parker also contested the shot put for the Chargers on Saturday, just two days after finishing 14th in the nation in the hammer throw. Parker had a solid second throw of 13.97 meters, but came up short of the final in the event, finishing in 18th place.

The future is bright for the Chargers, as Hillsdale loses Jackson but returns both of its All-Americans from the 2025 outdoor campaign, with Townsend and freshman Ally Kuzma, who took third in the 10,000m run on Thursday, both slated to be back. They’ll provide a strong foundation for a squad with a lot of promising young talent that could have a big year in 2026.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Track & field is a fairly individual sport which often pits teammates against each other. When a team is tight, like The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) men’s and women’s squads, that doesn’t create animosity – it fosters an uber-competitive, yet endlessly supportive, environment which makes every individual better. 
 
Perhaps the best example of that is the duo of Corin Burns and Richard Young. Burns, a junior called “CB” by his team, and Young, a freshman better known as Ricky, are both short sprinters at UTRGV. They are extremely talented individuals, but most importantly, they are selfless and uplifting training partners. 
 
After a season of battling in the 100- and 200-meter dash, the rookie and the vet are both heading to the 2025 NCAA West First Round. Once again, they’ll be competing against each other in the men’s 200-meter dash running Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. in College Station. They’re going in with the same qualifying time of 20.79 – a shared program and personal best. 
 
“I’m excited it worked out with them coming in with the exact same time. I know no matter what they’re going to shake hands and get back to work at the end of the day. Their future is very bright together,” head coach Shareese Hicks said. “They cheer for each other and they want to beat each other. It’s the perfect combination, that push and pull that you need to have an ideal training partner. CB has definitely taken Lil’ Rick under his wing in a big way because he understands the better this kid is, the better I’m going to be. And Ricky has been extremely coachable.” 
 
The friendly competition between the duo started during the indoor season and can be perfectly summed up by the events of Feb. 14 at Texas Tech’s Jarvis Scott Invite. Two weeks prior, Burns set two indoor program records at only his second meet competing for UTRGV. One of those records was in the 60-meter dash as he ran 6.71. 
 
“All year I was running 6.7, and then at the second Tech meet, I saw Rick get in his heat and run 6.6. I was like, ‘Oh this guy just took the school record from me.’ He had a great race so I had to give it to him,” Burns recalled. 
 
Young ran 6.69 in the second of three heats of the 60 semifinals. In the third heat, Burns ran 6.68, regaining his top spot in the record books. 
 
“It lowkey hurt my feelings a little bit,” Young reminisced as they shared a laugh. 
 
Burns has gotten the better of Young for the most part this first year training together, but that wasn’t unexpected or unwelcomed. In fact, getting beat by Burns has been motivating for the youngster. 
 
“He pushes me a lot,” Young said. “Coming from high school, I’ve always kind of been the faster guy, so training with someone who’s older and faster than me is like, dang, now I got to really put pedal to the metal. And even when I do that, I still get beat by him, so training with him keeps me focused on being able to run at the best of my abilities.” 
 
Burns appreciates having Young right on his heels. Hicks had the two rooming together during meets all year, and they’ll be roommates again for the week of NCAA West. Burns welcomes the opportunity to share his knowledge with his young teammate, who prevents him from resting on his laurels. 
 
“Rick always asks questions, or at practice he’ll say, ‘I saw you do this. How does it help with getting faster?’ He keeps me on my toes, and that’s one thing I like about training with him,” Burns said. “Iron sharpens iron is what I say. We go head-to-head in everything we do and that’s how we get better. I can’t get too complacent because he’s right there always pushing me.” 
 
Young has won some reps here and there, and Burns jokes it’s only when the elder athlete is working on something specific and therefore not really trying to go fast. But the junior did credit the freshman for his “dog mentality,” which is something Young says Burns has helped him develop this year. 
 
“At the beginning of the season I wasn’t running the best because I was so in my head. Being able to talk to CB about everything really boosted my confidence a whole lot. He’s been a lot of help for me,” Young said. 
 
The connection between the speedsters is anchored by the similarity in their values and personalities, Hicks said. They’re both respectful, humble young men who like to work hard. Their differences are in their strengths on the track. Where Burns is seasoned with his mechanics and able to correct mistakes during a race because of his body awareness, Young is raw and learning to harness his natural speed and strength. Young is good with his starts and has outstanding speed endurance, while Hicks believes Burns’ best quality is his acceleration. 
 
They’re heading to NCAA West after having opposite experiences at the Southland Conference (SLC) Outdoor Championships one week ago. Young ran well but finished one spot out of advancing to finals in both the 100 and 200. Burns took silver in the 100, bronze in the 200, and added a second bronze medal with the 4×400-meter relay. 
 
Hicks said their conference performances show the difference in where they are in their respective careers. Burns, as a veteran, knows how to handle championship environments and was able to attack the meet with experience and execution. Young is continuing to learn how to focus on his race and not be affected by those running beside him. 
 
The freshman is leaning on lessons and advice from Burns to be better prepared for the big stage of NCAA West. This is Burns’ second trip to the regional meet after advancing as a freshman himself in 2023. 
 
“He’s told me that it’s a lot more competitive than any other meet we’ve been to, so I have to be ready. He can give me pointers on what to do and give me tips going into the race,” Young said. “Us being in the same event, I’m definitely ready to race him and beat him in a meet. I’m excited for us to race against each other full throttle.” 
 
Burns is heading to College Station with a clear goal: finish in the top 12 and advance to NCAA Championships. He’s excited to take on the big stage with his training partner and six other teammates and knows the Vaqueros will give their best in every event. 
 
“A lot of work went into this, a lot of treacherous practices this year. I’m glad to have been able to work with so many hard-working people and we’ve really pushed each other,” Burns said. “Every dog has its day, so you have to go out there and compete and try to show everyone what you’re capable of.” 

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GENEVA — Kenadee Wayt extended her Mount Union record for All-American finishes in the final race of her Purple Raiders career.

Hope College sprinters Liam Danitz and Sara Schermerhorn ran away with All-America honors for the second time this season.

The two juniors raced to medal-earning honors at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, near Cleveland, to add to the national accolades they claimed at the indoor championships in March.

Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights HS) finished fifth in the men’s 200-meter final, clocking a time of 21.33 seconds. The exercise science major took seventh in the 200 at the indoor finals.

Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) placed sixth in the women’s 400-meter final, posting a school-record time of 54.36 seconds. The exercise science major recorded a seventh-place finish in the event at the indoor championships.

On Thursday, Schermerhorn earned All-America Second Team distinction for the second time in the women’s 200 meters with an 11th-place finish. 

Head coach Kevin Cole praised both runners for their performances amidst challenging competition and conditions.

“Sara was really focused today. That field, it could have been anybody’s race; it was fast. Sara crushed the school record on less than an ideal day. She rose to the level of the competition,” Cole said. “Liam’s race was everything we expected. It was just close, fractions of a second except for [the winner]. At nationals, you realize it’s not about time, it’s just trying to beat the people you’re racing against. Liam beat most of them.”

Danitz became the Flying Dutchmen’s first 200-meter All-American for the second time in as many NCAA Championships.

The University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse’s Sam Blaskowski repeated as national champion after clocking a time of 20.35 seconds. Danitz crossed the finish line just 0.18 seconds after national runner-up Kevin Arthur of Saint John’s University (Minnesota).

Schermerhorn became the Flying Dutch’s two-time First Team All-American in the 400 meters.

Sam Carchidi of Emory University (Georgia) captured the national title with a personal-best time of 53.94 seconds. Schermerhorn was one of seven runners in the field to record PR runs.

 

Gallery: (5-24-2025) NCAA Division III Outdoor Track/Field