MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine Athletics continues to see student-athletes produce academic success at high levels as the Waves had all 17 rated programs post a 947 or better multi-year  Academic Progress Rate (APR), when the NCAA released its most recent data on Tuesday, May 6.

With six teams posting perfect multi-year APR scores, all of the Waves teams were safely above the NCAA’s minimum APR standard score of 930. Pepperdine posted an overall average multi-year score of 987, above the national multi-year average 984.

“The Academic Progress Rate is more than a metric”, said Pepperdine Director of Athletics, Tanner Gardner. “It’s a reflection of our commitment to student-athlete success, both on the field and in the classroom. At Pepperdine, we take pride in fostering an environment where academic achievement is just as celebrated as athletic performance.”

The eight teams with perfect scores are women’s basketball, beach volleyball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s soccer, swimming and diving, women’s track and women’s indoor volleyball. Three teams stretched their perfect streak to 11-consecutive years at 1,000. The swimming and diving, women’s cross country and women’s track teams all reported at 1,000 points. 

Pepperdine supported 58 student-athletes to earn their degrees this spring at the commencement ceremony on May 3. 

Academic Progress Rate

The 2025 APR report features a four-year compilation of data from the 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years. The APR uses formulas related to student-athlete retention and eligibility to measure the academic performances of all participants who receive grants-in-aid on every team at every NCAA Division I college and university. It provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete, and a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

The APR, or Academic Progress Rate, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.

The APR is calculated as follows:

• Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.

• A team’s total points are divided by the points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team’s Academic Progress Rate.

• In addition to a team’s current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.

The APR is based on four years of data, with the most current year’s data added and the oldest year removed to create a four-year (multi-year) rolling rate.

About Pepperdine Athletics

Pepperdine Athletics sponsors 17 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete at the NCAA Division I level, primarily in the West Coast Conference. The Waves’ athletic program began in 1938 and is in its 87th season in 2024-25. Over 300 student-athletes train and compete in the unparalleled environment of Malibu’s mild Mediterranean climate. The Waves have claimed 14 National Team Championships, 12 National Individual Championships, 242 Conference team titles, including five trophies in the 2024-25 academic year.

Follow Pepperdine Athletics on X and Instagram (@PepperdineWaves) and Facebook for all the latest information concerning the Pepperdine Athletics program.

 – PepperdineWaves.com-

“I’m excited to welcome Mike Brennan as our Associate Head Coach,” said Henderson. “Mike brings over 20 years of Division I coaching experience, including 10 years as a Division I head coach. He also played professionally in Europe and knows the Ivy League well. He understands what Princeton values and what it takes to win here. Mike is deeply committed to success at the highest level, and his integrity, work ethic, and steady leadership will make an immediate impact. His focus on recruiting, player development, and building strong relationships will be key as we work to compete for Ivy League titles and return to the NCAA Tournament.”

Brennan joins the Tigers’ staff from Cornell, where he served as an assistant coach during the 2024-25 season.

“I am thrilled to be back at Princeton, a place that has meant so much to me both as a player and as a coach,” said Brennan. “The University has been an integral part of my life, and it is truly an honor and privilege to represent such a distinguished institution and basketball program. I am grateful to Director of Athletics John Mack and Coach Henderson for this opportunity, and I look forward to contributing in every way I can to help carry on Princeton’s tradition of excellence.”

Brennan served as head coach at American University from 2013-23, finishing his time there ranked second in program history in Patriot League victories (75) and third in overall victories (125). He was honored as the Patriot League Coach of the Year and named a finalist for both the Hugh Durham (mid-major head coach) and Joe B. Hall (first-year head coach) awards in 2013-14, after leading the Eagles to a Patriot League title. The 2014-15 season saw American return to the Patriot League championship game under Brennan.

From 2009-13, Brennan spent four years at Georgetown as an assistant coach under John Thompson III. In each of his four seasons with the Hoyas, Georgetown earned an NCAA Tournament bid and twice earned a top three seed along with a share of the 2013 Big East regular season title. Georgetown won 95 games during Brennan’s four-year tenure on staff.

Prior to Georgetown, Brennan was an assistant coach at American during a historic two-year stretch from 2007-09. The Eagles earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2008 and won back-to-back Patriot League regular season and tournament titles.

At Princeton from 2000-07, where he also worked under Thompson III as an assistant, Brennan helped lead the Tigers to three Ivy Championships (2001, 2002, 2004), a pair of NCAA Tournaments (2001, 2004) and an NIT bid (2002).

As a player at Princeton, Brennan was a four-year starter under Pete Carril. He helped the Tigers to NCAA Tournament appearances and Ivy titles in 1991 and 1992, earning Second Team All-Ivy as a senior. After graduating in 1994 with a degree in English, Brennan played professionally in Germany, Belgium and Portugal.

Brennan Coaching Timeline

Princeton University, Associate Head Coach (2025-present)

Cornell University, Assistant Coach (2024-25)

Loyola University Maryland, Assistant Coach (2023-24)

American University, Head Coach (2013-23)

Georgetown University, Assistant Coach (2009-13)

Princeton University, Assistant Coach (2000-07)

Columbia University, Volunteer Assistant Coach (1995-96)

OREM — Jack Komenda reminded Morgan’s bench to hold their breath. They’d been here before.

Defeating No. 2 Salt Lake Academy in four sets a few hours earlier, the No. 3 Trojans were locked with No. 8 Grantsville, a team that’d previously knocked off top seed Ogden in the quarterfinals, in the match of their lives for the 3A state boys volleyball title.

“Keep going, take breaths,” Komenda said.

A raucous fourth set amassed 64 total points between parties, with Grantsville earning the 33-31 win and evening the match 2-2 in the process.

Morgan pulled it together 15-13 a set later for the program’s first state championship Thursday at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center.

Morgan won the match in five sets: 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 31-33, 15-13.

All too familiar, the title’s endless fourth set saw Morgan squander two match-point chances as the Cowboys refused to go down. It took a fifth set, played to 15 points instead of 25, for the Trojans to capitalize on a 13-10 edge.

Kevin Wangsgard’s match point sent the Trojans into a frenzy, as it should’ve. Morgan, a season before, finished third in the state’s first-ever sanctioned state championships in Orem.

The Trojans and Cowboys split two regular-season meetings, Grantsville claiming the first 3-2 in five sets at home and dropping the other 3-1 in four sets on the road. Morgan dropped the first set Thursday but answered, winning the next two.

A fifth set with Grantsville sent Jack’s father and Morgan’s head coach, Kyle Komenda, into a testy place watching his senior compete for program history before his eyes.

“I was like ‘Oh boy, I better hold it together,” Kyle Komenda said. “After they went to that fifth set, it was deja vu with these guys — they got us in that fifth set and he’d just laid everything on the floor, not just today but yesterday in that five-set match.”

Winning two straight, Morgan opened the fourth set down 7-3 and grappled with the Cowboys, led by Hunter Powell up front, through a 33-31 defeat to set up a title for whoever could recover for the fifth set.

Up 13-10, Jack Komenda and his three seniors smelled the summit.

In what the younger Komenda described as a pure “team effort,” Morgan’s final push cemented what they’d fallen short of a year ago on the same courts at UVU.

The moment means a great deal to Jack, who credits his father with steering him into the game and remaining committed to building yet another winning program at Morgan.

“He’s the one (who) brought me to play volleyball,” Jack Komenda said. “He’s been my coach throughout my entire life (and) I’m super grateful for him. … We built this team up from the ground, from the beginning of the season.”

The Trojans, with their first boys volleyball title in hand, finished their second season of the Komenda era 23-8 as the Region 13 runner-up. The first pair of Morgan teams has their head coach committed to keeping expectations sky high.

“There’s a legacy here and that’s why I agreed to coach this team,” Komenda said. “It’s a challenge I wanted to take, and it was our goal last season. We fell short, so that was our motto all year, and yeah, we finished it. It’s extremely satisfying, especially for those seniors.”

Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.

CIF San Diego Section Beach Volleyball Championships

When: Saturday

Where: Mesa College

Tickets: $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students. Children under 5 are free. Spectators are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and blankets; there are no bleachers or seating structures.

Division 2: (7) Canyon Crest Academy (9-7) vs. (1) Eastlake (13-9), 10 a.m.

Preview: Eastlake got past No. 16-seeded Sage Creek 3-2 in the first round before besting Coronado 4-1 in the semifinals. Eastlake punched its ticket to the final by taking down Francis Parker 5-0. … Canyon Crest Academy’s path to the championship included taking down Mission Hills 4-1 before pulling off the upset against No. 2 Rancho Bernardo 3-2. In the semifinals, the Ravens defeated No. 11 Patrick Henry 4-1.

Division 1: (2) Carlsbad (16-5) vs. (1) San Marcos (17-3), 12:30 p.m.

Preview: It will be an all-Coastal League matchup to determine the champion. Carlsbad, which won last year’s Division 2 title, advanced with 4-1 victories against Our Lady of Peace and La Jolla. … San Marcos beat San Dieguito Academy 5-0 in the quarterfinals and league foe La Costa Canyon 5-0 in the semifinals. San Marcos has won seven of the last eight matches. Carlsbad and San Marcos split the season series. San Marcos won 3-2 on the road before losing 3-2 at home.

Open Division: (3) Torrey Pines (21-2) vs. (1) Cathedral Catholic (16-0), 3 p.m.

Preview: For the fourth consecutive year, Cathedral Catholic and Torrey Pines meet for the Open Division title. Cathedral Catholic advanced to the championship through the winners’ bracket by taking down Point Loma and Torrey Pines. Tuesday’s match against the Falcons marked the Dons’ first time winning 3-2 all season as they have lost just five pairing matchups this year. … Torrey Pines advanced to the finals through the loser’s bracket. The Falcons have won 17 of their last 18 matches, including defeating Point Loma in Thursday’s third round. … In each of the last three section titles in the Open Division, Cathedral Catholic beat Torrey Pines.

BREVEN HONDA

Originally Published: May 9, 2025 at 10:54 AM PDT

Macalester College — Macalester Stadium
St. Paul, Minn.
 
Friday, May 9 — 2:00 p.m. (field events) / 2:30 p.m. (track events)
Saturday, May 10 —12:00 p.m. (field events) / 1:30 p.m. (track events)
 
MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships home page
Includes venue information, ticket info, live streaming information, live results, meet schedule, recaps, results, photos, and more]
Live Video (multiple feeds)  |  Live Results   |  Schedule of Events  |  Meet Program
 
Tickets
All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at the venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device at any time, including while at the venue. To purchase tickets at any time, click the MIAC’s HomeTown Ticketing site.
 
One-Day Pass
• Adults – $12 (HomeTown Ticketing fees of $1.30 plus 2.9% credit card fee will be added during checkout = $13.70 estimated total)
• Students with college ID – $3 (HomeTown Ticketing fees of $1.30 plus 2.9% credit card fee will be added during checkout = $4.43 estimated total)

• 5 & Under – Free
 
Meet Previews
MIAC Men’s Championships Preview   |   MIAC Women’s Championships Preview
Carleton Team Previews (see below)
 
Carleton Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Preview
Head Coach
• Dave Ricks (22nd season)
In 2024
• 4th of 11 (93 points)
Ranking
• The USTFCCCA currently ranks Carleton at No. 24 in the North Region
 
Athletes to Watch (in alphabetical order – seeded in top 15)
• Reese Anderson – seeded 6th in javelin, participated in decathlon (5th)
• Ryan Bernstein – seeded 8th in 10000m
• Travis Brown – seeded 6th in 10000m
• James Gates – seeded 8th in pole vault
• Andrew Jamison – seeded 7th in 10000m
• Soren Kaster – seeded 4th in pole vault, participated in decathlon (4th)
• Roy Llewellyn – seeded 9th in 5000m
• Indy Lyness – seeded 11th in 800m
• Josh Meier – seeded 10th in 800m
• Asher Nathan – seeded 15th in 200m
• Gabe Nichols – seeded 3rd in 5000m, 5th in the 1500m
• Daniel Scheider – seeded 8th in the 400m
• Dash Schwab – seeded 11th in javelin
• Torte Torstenson – seeded 9th in steeplechase
 
Carleton Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Preview
Head Coach
• Donna Ricks (32nd season)
In 2024
• 5th of 12 teams (91.5 points)
Ranking
• The USTFCCCA currently ranks Carleton at No. 15 in the North Region
 
Athletes to Watch (in alphabetical order – seeded in top 15)
• Willa Bishop – seeded 11th in javelin
• Nora Daley – seeded 4th in steeplechase
• Lara Erickson – seeded 3rd in 800m
• Alice Islam – seeded 10th in high jump
• Aliya Larsen – seeded 3rd in 1500m, 3rd in 5000m
• Sophie McManus – seeded 1st in steeplechase, 2nd in 1500m
• Claire Miyoshi – seeded 13th in triple jump
• Libby Rowland – seeded 2nd in steeplechase
• Maggie Votruba – seeded 9th in 10000m
 
 
 

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina kicks off its 2025 American Athletic Conference slate with a trip to defending regular season champion South Florida according to a release of the Pirates’ league schedule.
 
ECU begins conference play with three consecutive road matches but will finish out the year with six of its final eight inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
 
The Pirates are set to challenge the Bulls in Tampa Friday, Sept. 26, before visiting Florida Atlantic Sept. 28. East Carolina faces a quick turnaround the following week, taking on host Charlotte Wednesday, Oct. 1, and hosting Tulane Sunday, Oct. 5.
 
ECU is slated to face South Florida, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte and Temple twice while hosting Tulane, Rice, UAB and Memphis and traveling to square off with North Texas, UTSA, Wichita State and Tulsa.
 
The American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship is scheduled for Nov. 21-23 in Tampa, Fla. The Pirates’ full competition slate will be announced at a later date.
 
2025 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Schedule (East Carolina)
Sept. 26: at South Florida
Sept. 28: at Florida Atlantic
Oct. 1: at Charlotte
Oct. 5: Tulane
Oct. 10: at Temple
Oct. 12: Florida Atlantic
Oct. 17: at North Texas
Oct. 19: at UTSA
Oct. 22: Charlotte
Oct. 24: South Florida
Oct. 31: Rice
Nov. 2: Temple
Nov. 7: at Wichita State
Nov. 9: at Tulsa
Nov. 14: UAB
Nov. 16: Memphis
Nov. 21-23: American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship (Tampa, Fla.)