DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball is proud to announce its upcoming international journey as part of the “Wildcat World Tour,” with the team heading to Costa Rica for an eight-day cultural and competitive experience from June 20-27, 2025.
 
This transformative opportunity will see the Wildcats compete in three international exhibition matches while immersing themselves in Costa Rican culture through community service, adventure activities, and cultural excursions.
 
“This trip represents an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes to grow both on and off the court,” said Bethune-Cookman Volleyball Head Coach Brittany Williams. “Competing internationally will challenge our team in new ways, but the cultural experiences and community service opportunities are equally valuable. These young women will return with a global perspective that extends far beyond volleyball.”
 

The comprehensive itinerary includes four nights in San Jose at the Crowne Plaza Corobici and three nights at the luxurious Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort on the Pacific Coast. The team will participate in three international exhibition matches against local competition while also conducting a community service activity with Special Olympics of Costa Rica.
 
“One of the core values of our founder and our university, as a whole, is giving back to communities wherever we go,” Williams explained. “The opportunity to work with Special Olympics of Costa Rica aligns perfectly with our mission of faith and service at Bethune-Cookman University.”
 
Beyond competition and service, the Wildcats will experience Costa Rica’s natural beauty and culture through excursions including:

• San Jose city tour featuring the Central Market, National Church, National Stadium, National Theater, and Artisan’s Market
• La Paz Waterfall Gardens tour with hiking and an animal sanctuary visit
• Zip-lining adventure at Los Suenos Adventure Park

 
“The combination of volleyball, service, and cultural immersion makes this a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience,” added Williams. “Our players will develop deeper team bonds while stepping outside their comfort zones in a beautiful international setting. These shared experiences will translate to greater cohesion and resilience when we return to competition.”
 
The Costa Rica tour is being organized through Beyond Sports, a leader in international sports tours that combine competition, service, and cultural experiences. The trip represents Bethune-Cookman Volleyball’s commitment to providing student-athletes with transformative opportunities that extend beyond traditional collegiate athletics.
 
“We’re incredibly grateful to our administration and supporters for making this trip possible,” Williams said. “This journey embodies the university’s commitment to developing well-rounded student-athletes who are prepared to make an impact globally. The memories and lessons from Costa Rica will stay with our players long after their volleyball careers conclude.”
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Volleyball on X/Twitter (@BCUVolleyball) and Instagram (@BCUVolleyball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on X/Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.
 
 

USA Swimming, the national governing body for swimming in the United States, and its philanthropic arm, the USA Swimming Foundation, today announced the 2025 Community Impact Grant recipients. Nine additional USA Swimming member clubs will be receiving a $5,000 grant, eligible for renewal annually for up to three years.

This year, 30 programs have received $150,000 in funds to provide aquatic programming, support diverse coaches, and create competitive opportunities locally. This round of grants, funded by philanthropic giving, brings the total number of programs supported to 51, with a total impact of $540,000 distributed nationwide.

“USA Swimming and the USA Swimming Foundation are proud to continue to support funding opportunities to underserved communities to gain access to swimming,” USA Swimming Managing Director of Sport Development Joel Shinofield said. “USA Swimming clubs are community assets that provide children competitive swimming opportunities in neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the United States, and this funding allows them to expand those opportunities.”

The USA Swimming Foundation introduced the Community Impact Grant program in 2020 with the goal of providing access to competitive swimming for underrepresented swimming communities, supporting diverse coaches, and uplifting municipal community swim club programs within USA Swimming clubs. They focus on three areas of support:

• Creating partnerships between USA Swimming clubs and a facility or recreational organization that does not currently have a club;
• Supporting USA Swimming clubs led by women and/or diverse individuals; and
• Partnering USA Swimming clubs with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to create competitive programs for youth in campus pools.

Congratulations to the following programs who will be receiving 2025 Community Impact Grant funding:

Click here for the full list of Community Impact Grant funding recipients.

For more information on USA Swimming’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, please visit https://www.usaswimming.org/diversity.

To learn more about USA Swimming Foundation, please visit https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation.

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— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with USA Swimming. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com. 

GOLD CANYON, Ariz. – Janae Leovao’s final hole birdie lifted the junior to a tie for eighth place at the Gold Canyon Regional, but she was bested by Auburn’s Anna Davis for the individual qualifying spot for the NCAA Championship as the Gold Canyon Regional came to a close on Wednesday.
 
Final Results
 
Leovao started the day +1 and picked up one stroke, making three birdies including one on 18 to climb three spots up to a tie for eighth place with a 216 tournament score, finishing in the Top 10 for the third time this season.
 
Jasmine Leovao shot a 73 for the second straight day, finishing the tournament four-over par at 220, tied for 17th overall as both Beach golfers finished in the Top 20 of the tournament. Jasmine finished the season finishing in the Top 20 in 11 of 12 tournaments in 2025.
 
Anna Davis of Auburn finished the tournament one stroke in front of Janae Leovao at -1, getting the qualifying spot as the Tigers slipped into sixth place on the team leaderboard on the final day.
 
The pair finished the season as the first duo to be selected to represent the Beach as individuals at the NCAA Regionals. The twins joined three other golfers in Long Beach State Women’s Golf history to be selected as individuals to compete at the NCAA Regionals, along with Kay Hoey, Kassidy Teare and Holland Shourds.
 

TAMPA, MAY 7, 2025 – The University of South Florida women’s lacrosse team has concluded their historic inaugural season.
 
After waiting 1,185 days between the team’s first announcement and their first draw whistle, over 10,000 fans showed up across 11 home games to learn the new South Florida sport.
 
After going 997 days between coaching Division I women’s lacrosse games, head coach Mindy McCord and staff coached the Bulls to 13 wins, finishing as the regular-season and postseason conference runner-up. The final record marked the second-most wins for an inaugural women’s lacrosse program in NCAA history (High Point University went 15-4 in 2011).
 
After taking a full year off from competition in order to arrive to South Florida and help establish a culture, four upperclassmen made AAC All-Conference Team selections: Sofia Chepenik (Unanimous First), Kaitlyn Tartaglione (First), Juliana George (Second), and Mikaela Ness (Second).
 
Youth Movement
Coach McCord and the Bulls coaching staff put an emphasis on recruiting full classes, without leaning too heavily on the transfer portal. The Bulls’ roster consisted of 28 freshman or redshirt freshman out of their 40 roster spots, four of which started at least five games. True freshman Kali Cleary represented South Florida on the AAC All-Conference Team (Second).
 
Drawing Interest
The Bulls finished the season third in the NCAA in cumulative attendance, with 10,127 fans paying to enter Corbett Stadium to watch women’s lacrosse. The Bulls were fourth in the NCAA in average attendance per game (921). They outdrew all conference opponents and all southeastern USA programs.
 
Feb. 7: An Unforgettable Debut
A state of Florida women’s lacrosse regular season record, 2,386 fans showed up to the first game in program history as the Bulls took down Kennesaw State 19-6. This was the eighth-highest single-game attendance in NCAA Women’s Lacrosse this season.
 
Feb. 11: Pagano’s 17 Saves Earn Bulls First Road Win
Paige Pagano tied her career-high with 17 saves in an 11-8 win over the NCAA Tournament-bound Mercer Bears.
 
Feb. 14: Undefeated Without Trailing
The Bulls returned home to Corbett and beat Lehigh 17-7, continuing their streak of never trailing through their first three games.
 
Feb. 18: No. 5 Florida in Town
South Florida welcomed the fifth-ranked Gators to Tampa. The Bulls were only down four goals (11-7) in the third quarter, but wound up falling 18-11 even with Sofia Chepenik’s five-goal effort.
 
Feb. 23: Taking Towson to the Wire
The Bulls fell to 11-time NCAA Tournament qualifier Towson by a score of 13-12, despite Sofia Chepenik’s second straight five-goal effort.
 
March 2: The Start of the Streak
South Florida went on to win the next six games in March, starting with their 19-5 win against St. Bonaventure, behind Maggie Newton’s five-goal performance.
 
March 9-11: Two Wins in Three Days
The Bulls then beat Xavier (20-4) and Bucknell (16-8) in a three-day span.
 
March 15: First American Athletic Conference Win
With USA Lacrosse on campus for their gameday feature, the Bulls took down Temple 15-9 for their first AAC win in program history.
 
March 22: Program Record 23 Goals
The Bulls continued their win streak with a program record 23 goals over ECU, who went on to be the three-seed in the AAC Tournament.
 
March 29: Win Streak Hits Six
South Florida took down the eventual four-seed in the AAC Tournament, Vanderbilt (17-7), to extend their win streak to a season-high six games, going undefeated in March.
 
April 4: Battle of Inaugural Teams
The Bulls’ win streak ended against the other inaugural AAC team, Charlotte, 17-16. The Bulls had trailed 6-1 in the first quarter and battled back with a relentless fourth quarter attack.
 
April 6: Career Win No. 250 in Lynchburg
Coach Mindy McCord, who played four years of college lacrosse at Lynchburg University, earned her 250^th win as an NCAA women’s lacrosse coach in the town where it all began. The Bulls took down NCAA Tournament-bound Liberty by a score of 18-12. Coach McCord’s former coach, Enza Steele, who inspired her to pick up coaching after graduating, was in attendance.
 
April 12: Senior Day Win
The Bulls recognized their eight seniors ahead of their 15-10 win over ODU. While Maggie Newton and Kaitlyn Tartaglione will return for their final season, Juliana George, Paige Pagano, Mikaela Ness, Alison Harbaugh, Caroline Gallagher, and Priscilla Santos are all departing USF upon graduation.
 
April 19: Battle for AAC Regular Season Championship
The Bulls traveled to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to play No. 9 James Madison for a shot at the AAC Regular Season title, but they came up short, losing 20-6.
 
April 23: 23 Again
South Florida closed out the regular season, tying their program record of 23 goals, this time against Stetson at home in Corbett Stadium.
 
All-AAC Team
The Bulls earned five AAC All-Conference selections in their inaugural season. Sofia Chepenik (Attack) and Kaitlyn Tartaglione (Midfield) were each named to the First Team, with Chepenik’s selection being unanimous. Kali Cleary (Midfield), Juliana George (Attack), and Mikaela Ness (Defense) were named to the Second Team.
 
May 1: AAC Tournament Semifinal
The Bulls (No. 2 seed) matched up against ECU (No. 3 seed) for the AAC Championship Tournament Semifinal in Norfolk, Virginia. Bailey Morris scored the go-ahead goal with 2:24 remaining and a game-clinching goal (0:55) as the Bulls advanced to the Championship Final with a 14-12 win over the Pirates.
 
May 3: James Madison Rematch
The Bulls dueled the Dukes again for the AAC Tournament Championship, exactly two weeks after facing them for the AAC Regular Season Championship. This Championship bout was even closer. The Bulls trailed by three (10-7) in the third quarter, but could not hold off No. 9 James Madison’s relentless attack, falling 18-9.
 
All-AAC Tournament Team
The Bulls earned four spots on the AAC All-Tournament Team in their inaugural season: Kaitlyn Tartaglione (Midfield), Kali Cleary (Midfield), Maggie Newton (Attack), and Bailey Morris (Midfield).
 
Final RPI Ranking
The Bulls finished the season ranked 38th on the NCAA’s official RPI system, the highest they reached all season. The Bulls played against a top-10 ranked team three times: No. 5 Florida and No. 9 James Madison (twice). Though they lost each game against these NCAA Tournament-bound teams, they kept up with the competition through halftime in each game. The Bulls did defeat two NCAA Tournament-bound teams, both on the road, taking down Mercer by a score of 11-8 and Liberty 18-12.
 
Final Statistical Rankings
The Bulls finished the season ranked first in the AAC in eight different statistical categories:

• South Florida spent multiple weeks ranked first in the nation in shots per game, with their final ranking sitting fourth in the NCAA (35.94 shots).
• The Bulls finished sixth in shots on goal per game (26.33).
• South Florida had the 10^th-ranked scoring offense (15.61) and the 12^th-best scoring margin (5.11).
• They had the 11^th-best points per game (22.65).
• Their 17.56 ground balls per game and 9.22 caused turnovers per game both ranked 32^nd-best in the NCAA.
• The Bulls’ 47.2 free-position shooting percentage was 43^rd in the nation.

 
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About USF Women’s Lacrosse
The University of South Florida announced the addition of women’s lacrosse to its now 21-sport varsity athletics department in November of 2021. Fast forward to Feb. 7, 2025, the program embarked on its inaugural season in a 19-6 win over KSU, setting the State of Florida’s regular season attendance record (2,386 fans). The Bulls named eight-time conference coach of the year Mindy McCord to lead the program in May of 2022. McCord, who came to USF with 240 career wins, earned 21 regular-season and conference-tournament titles at Jacksonville University. She led the program to eight NCAA appearances after launching and leading the Dolphins’ program over its first 13 years. She developed 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees during that span, departing JU following back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths. USF runs a fast-paced, high-scoring offense influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men’s basketball record-setting fast break, which ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin numerous seasons during McCord’s tenure at JU.
 
– #GoBulls –
 

Much is expected from Orem in this year’s 4A state tournament, and a convincing quarterfinal straight set win over Green Canyon on Wednesday (25-18, 25-10, 25-8) didn’t disappoint.

Although the Tigers (24-6) started things off slowly, they soon hit a stride as they’ve shown forth so often this season, taking the second and third sets in convincing fashion. A key was an early timeout taken in the first set where Orem coach Bill Sefita managed to refocus his players.

“We can’t just be a reactive team that waits for the other team to do something,” Sefita said of his directive. “We have to be proactive and play our own volleyball first and then take care of the little things. That’s what helped us build that big lead.”

The second set saw Orem dominate from the outset. Led by Lucky Jennings and his eight kills for the match, the Tigers set off on a 12-1 run as most everything came together from both the front and back rows. Green Canyon managed to fight back a bit, but any 11 point deficit is hard to overcome in volleyball, and proved to be the case.

Orem took its second set momentum and parlayed it into an even bigger 25-8 winning margin in the third. After incurring an early 3-2 deficit the Tigers manufactured a 12-0 run and rolled from there for the straight set win.

Earlier in the day, Orem rolled past No. 17 West Field 25-10, 25-21, 25-13 in a first round sweep.

As mentioned, much is expected of the No. 1-seeded Tigers, who are a year removed from just missing out on a state championship. In 2024, Orem lost a heartbreaking five-set thriller to Pine View in the 4A title match.

It’s a fact not lost on this year’s team and has perhaps provided more than a little motivation.

“I think some of those who returned from last year have that chip on their shoulder, and have a point to prove,” Sefita said. “But we ask them to focus on the present and engage in the moment. We drive forward and don’t look backwards.”

What Sefita implored to his team during the first timeout during Wednesday’s match is a directive he’s preached all season.

“Last year was last year and we can’t really dwell on the past. All we can do is move forward,” said Orem Coach Bill Sefita. “We’re focused on what we can do better this year. That’s what we’re doing right now…We’re controlling the controllables.”

With the win Orem advances to take on No. 5 Payson in the semifinals on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. The two teams met twice during Region 8 play, with the Tigers winning 3-1 and 3-0.

Payson pulls it out

Led by Waylon Francom and Brockton Shirley, who tallied 11 and 10 kills, respectively, the Lions (20-9) secured a straight set win over Crimson Cliffs in the quarterfinals (25-17, 25-22, 25-22.)

It was a satisfying result for Payson coach Kyle Adams, whose team appears to be hitting its stride at exactly the right time.

“This season has been up and down,” Adams said. “We’ve had some fantastic play, but we’ve also struggled. But that’s typical high school sports. It’s a game of momentum and we made some adjustments throughout the season and I think we’re starting to peak right now.”

Fraught with illness to some key players early in region play, things have come together nicely with a date versus favored Orem on the horizon in the semifinals.

“I think we have a healthy team,” Adams said. “I think we have a team that’s really great at sacrificing. I love that they have a really selfless attitude and it’s starting to show up on the board.”

In the first round, the Lions took care of Region 8 foe Mountain View 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 16-25, 25-16).

Timpanogos gets the upset

Timpanogos, the No. 7 seed, reeled off the biggest upset of the day with a four-set win over No. 2 seed Murray (25-16, 17-25, 25-23, 25-23.)

“It may have been unexpected to others, but not to us,” said Timpanogos coach Jared Stark. “We came in ready to take on any team in front of us and our goal is to take it as far as possible.”

Although Senior Cooper Pope led the way and smashed through the game-winner, Stark was hesitant to point out any certain individual for Wednesday’s upset win.

“It was the whole team,” Stark said. “Everyone contributed. The whole team put in the work and it really was a complete team effort today. We’re happy to get this win, but our focus now turns to what’s up next.”

The T-Wolves took out defending state champion Pine View in the first round in a sweep (25-19, 25-15, 25-10).

Timpanogos (14-9) will square off versus Desert Hills (18-8) in the semifinals, giving Region 8 three of the four teams in that round.

In consolation play, No. 12 Mountain View advanced. with a 2-0 sweep (25-9, 25-23) of No. 13 Stansbury, advancing to play No. 8 Jordan on Thursday with the winner playing for 6th-8th place. No. 18 Provo fell to No. 10 Pine View 2-1 (25-23, 23-25, 27-25) and was eliminated in the consolation round.