Winchester, Va. – The Lynchburg indoor men’s and women’s track & field team’s young talent impressed at the Shenandoah Holiday Kickoff as 11 newcomers posted top-10 results in the team’s final competition before winter break.

While first-year athletes delivered dominant performances on the sprints side, junior thrower Kenzie Swicegood bolstered her resume with two first-place finishes in throwing events. In the women’s weight throw, Swicegood posted a 55′ 1″ (16.79m) personal-best performance to dominate the field and come within two feet of Logan Babbs’ 56′ 11″ (17.35m) school record.

Swicegood also secured the victory in the women’s shot put with a 38′ 3¼” (11.67m) throw for first place. 

In each throwing event, five Hornets submitted top-eight results.. In the women’s weight throw, Kya Rucker claimed third place with a 45′ 10¾” (13.99m) performance, while Dajanaeia Johnson clinched third in the women’s shot put by setting a 33′ 10½” (10.33m) mark.

Haylee Smith, Alyssa McGregor and Kaylee Maxfield also emerged into scoring positions during their Hornet debuts for the throws team.

Lynchburg also placed a pair of sprinters in the 60m dash finals following stellar displays in prelims. 

Michael Coley advanced with a 7.08m result in his opening race, clocking 7.07 for fifth in the 60m dash final. First-year Brianna Taylor registered an 8.07 women’s 60m dash prelim result to qualify for finals, crossing the line in 8.06 for fourth place in her second race.

Coley also competed in the men’s long jump, leaping 21′ 5″ (6.53m) for fourth place in the field. Taylor doubled with the 200m dash, finishing fifth with a 27.41 showing.

In the 60m hurdles, Ardarian Diamond posted 8.74 in his Hornets debut to finish second overall. First-year Audrey Lacombe finished seventh on the women’s side, clocking 10.49 in prelims and 10.73 in finals. In the women’s triple jump, Lacombe occupied fourth place with a leap of 33′ 2¾” (10.13m).

Ayeshia Watson headlined an impressive showing from Lynchburg’s jumpers, placing second in the women’s triple jump with a 35′ 7¾” (10.87m) performance. In the long jump, Watson posted 15′ 1″ (4.60m) for sixth in the field. In high jump, Catalina Puglisi opened her sophomore campaign with a second-place finish, clearing the 4′ 7¾” (1.42m) bar.

Chris Watkins earned two top-10 finishes for the men’s team, posting 6′ 0″ (1.83m) in the men’s high jump for fourth place and 18′ 6¼” (5.65m) in the men’s long jump for 10th. Sean O’Loughlin cleared 12′ 5½” (3.80m) in the men’s pole vault for second.

To round out Lynchburg’s top-five performers, Noah Glenn secured fifth in the men’s weight throw with a 41′ 5½” (12.64m) toss for fourth, and the men’s 4x400m relay team crossed the line in 3:38.08 for fifth.

The Hornets concluded action for the 2025 calendar year and will return to action on Friday, Jan. 9 when they host the Burg Open at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

For full results from Sunday’s competition, click here.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

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–LYN–

 

WALTHAM, Mass. – Call it a three-peat! The Bentley volleyball team swept Mercy (25-20, 25-20, 25-12) in the NCAA DII East Regional Championship match Saturday night, as the Falcons captured their third consecutive NCAA DII East Regional title. Prior to 2023, the Bentley program had never won the regional championship.

Bentley makes a return to Sioux Falls, South Dakota this coming week as one of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Championship. It is the same site as the 2024 NCAA Championship in which the Falcons reached the final four.

Bentley attacked at a .324 clip in the Regional Championship against Mercy, marking the team’s best hitting percentage since a late October match against Southern New Hampshire.

Sophia Poehlein had a match-high 14 kills, while Elena Coban and Elizabeth Blinn both added nine. Blinn and Tory Vitko both finished with four blocks, and Erica Borzone joined the defensive efforts by leading all players in digs with 12.

Vitko had 38 assists against Mercy, bringing her total to 112 assists through 11 sets in the NCAA DII East Region Tournament.

Bentley is the first program from the region to win three consecutive regional titles since Dowling did it 2005-07.

More details will follow in the coming days about Bentley’s 2025 NCAA Championship run.

Recap provided by Bentley athletics. 

ABOUT THE NE10

The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Campbell track & field competed at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener and the JDL Early Bird Invitational to open its 2026 indoor campaign. 

ON THE TRACK 

Emily Pierce got things started as the lone Camel to travel to Boston to the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Pierce moved into fourth all-time in the 3000m with a new personal record time of 9:53.32. 

In her Campbell debut, Ty’Nasia Emory took first place in the 60m with a time of 7.58 to move into seventh all-time in program history. Amanda Ballard took third in the event with a personal best time of 7.63. Emory also took first in the 200m with a time of 25.14 and in front of Janelle Calderia who finished with a time of 25.98 to take 14th place. 

Daniel Griffith took fourth place in the 400m with a time of 50.21 followed by Andrew Goetz who finished 12th with a time of 51.83. 

Timayah Brown finished 16th in the 400m with a time of 1:04.72 and 18th in the 200m with a time of 26.13 to open her season. 

Sebastian Calderon finished 14th in the 200m with a time of 22.69 and Seth Nelson finished in 22nd with a time of 23.00. 

Timothy Salicco took eighth in the 1000m posting a 2:43.25 and setting a new personal record. 

IN THE FIELD 

Jacob Carroll secured sixth place in the pole vault with a mark of 4.20m just in front of 12th place finisher Aeden Sampey with a personal record mark 3.75. 

Ballard finished 17th in the long jump with a mark of 5.11m. Zoie Hembree finished 12th in the pole vault with a mark of 3.30 and Isabella Bernard finished 15th with a 3.15m mark. 

UP NEXT 

The Camels return to the track on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational in Winston-Salem. 

 

COLLEGE STATION – Fighting for a spot in the Sweet 16, No. 20 TCU came up just short against No. 6 Texas A&M in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Reed Arena.
 

The Horned Frogs (21-11, 10-8 Big 12) put up quite the fight, leaving it all out on the court for the final time in 2025. A rematch of September’s five-set thriller, TCU nearly forced a fifth set again against Texas A&M (25-4, 14-1 SEC), this time in a hostile environment of over 5,000 Aggie fans.
 
“We showed up knowing it was going to be a battle,” said head coach Jason Williams, who has led TCU to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons with the program. “Everyone saw a pretty good battle out there. Obviously disappointed with the loss because we felt as if we gave it away at the end. I wish we were still playing right now, but A&M figured out a way to win, but we’ll use this as a fire for next year.”
 
Evan Hendrix continued to shine in the postseason. She lit up the Aggies, going off for 26 kills on a .323 clip and added nine digs and three blocks. The sophomore finished her season as one of the most prolific scorers in TCU volleyball history, with 592.0 points and 543 kills, the second and third most all-time in their respective categories for a single season. Further, Hendrix’s 543 kills this year rank eighth nationally.
 
TCU also got a major offensive spark from junior Lauren Murphy. She finished with 13 kills, matching her total from the Frogs’ previous meeting with Texas A&M earlier this season. Murphy also tallied five blocks and a pair of aces. Becca Kelley rounded out the top scorers with her 24^th 10-plus kill match of the year.
 
Defensively, the Frogs out-blocked the Aggies 14-11. Senior captain Sarah Sylvester played a large role in that, finishing with seven stuffs, giving her 153.0 on the year, the fourth most in a single season in program history. One of the most prolific blockers to ever wear a TCU uniform, Sylvester ended her career with 482.0 blocks, the second most all-time. Alice Volpe tallied 14 digs, and her teammate Jaylen Clark finished with a career-high 11 digs.
 
Also playing in the final match of her career that spanned five years over the course of TCU and Marquette was setter Ella Foti. She guided the offense to a .260 hitting percentage while recording 31 assists and 10 digs for a double-double.
 

Texas A&M came out aggressive, serving up a pair of aces in the first five points to secure an early lead. The Frogs, however, settled and silenced the crowd with a 7-1 run to take an 11-8 lead. Hendrix helped TCU carry the three-point advantage into the media timeout, but out of the break, the Aggies used runs of their own to tie the set back up at 23 all. Unfazed, Hendrix put down another kill to give the Frogs set point, and Foti sealed the opening set 25-23 with a block to put TCU up 1-0 in the match.
 

The Frogs fell behind 3-10 to start the second set. They slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling within one point at 19-20, but ran out of steam, as Texas A&M evened the match with a 25-22 set victory.
 

Tied at one set apiece, the third set was pivotal. Both teams battled back and forth, trading points as the set featured 11 ties and eight lead changes. A 3-0 stretch put the Aggies ahead 15-13, but moments later, TCU flipped the script on them with a 3-0 run to take a 19-17 lead. Down the stretch, a pair of miscues helped A&M tie the set at 22 and close it out with three unanswered points to win 25-23.
 

Needing to win the fourth set to keep their season alive, the Frogs took a commanding 9-3 lead with Murphy at the service line. The Aggie crowd helped pump energy back into the team as Texas A&M capitalized on a 4-0 and 5-0 stretch to take a 14-13 lead. TCU stayed focused, responding with a stretch of six unanswered points, including five in a row from Hendrix, to take back the lead.
 
On the verge of forcing a fifth set, the Aggies fended off five TCU set points to stay alive and spoiled TCU’s chances of extending the match with a 29-27 set win.
 
For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on Twitter at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.
 

Oshkosh did not drop a set across their six matches in the national tournament on its way to the first national title in program history.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball is the 2025 NCAA Division III national champion!

The Titans (34-3) completed their perfect national tournament with a 3-0 win over the University of La Verne (Calif.) at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday (Dec. 6). They won by set scores of 25-17, 25-22, 25-21. The neutral site match had a home court feeling as friends, family, fellow student-athletes, and coaches packed the arena and cheered on the Titans all through the historic match.

While being the first national championship in program history, it is also the 51st in UW-Oshkosh history, the first Division III title since men’s basketball won the 2019 championship and the first women’s Division III title since women’s track & field won the 2014 indoor championship. Since 2020, UW-Oshkosh has claimed four national championships; the remaining three were won by women’s gymnastics at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship.

The championship match appearance was Oshkosh’s second in program history and the first since falling to Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) in the 1994 title match.

Exceptional

The Titans entered Saturday on an 18-set winning streak dating back to the WIAC Tournament championship match against UW-Eau Claire at Kolf Sport Center on Nov. 15 and a 37-22 all-time record in the national championship. After the win in Saturday’s championship match, they became the first program since 2004 to not drop a set in the national tournament.

Oshkosh hit .195 in the three-set match and held the Leopards (30-3) to a .140 attack percentage. While La Verne led 9-7 in team blocks and 62-57 in digs, the Titans held advantages of 54-44 in points, 43-33 in kills, 4-2 in service aces, and 37-32 in assists.

Riley Borrowman (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) got the first set going with a light tap over the net and into a large gap between defenders. The Titans then used a pair of three-point runs to create an early 9-3 lead and force a La Verne timeout. They recorded two more points out of the timeout before La Verne went on a 4-0 run to make the score 11-7. The Leopards got within three points; however, Oshkosh responded with a 5-1 run that included three kills by Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls). The deficit hovered around six points until a service error by the Leopards gave Oshkosh the serve and Borrowman bookended the set with her third kill.

La Verne scored on the first two serves of the second set and retained the lead, fighting off 4-4, 9-9 and 10-10 ties before reclaiming the edge following a Perlberg and Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) combination block to make the score 11-10. Continuing the back-and-fourth set, Oshkosh and La Verne got knotted up 10 more times at each point as neither team could score more than twice in a row. Perlberg broke the streak of ties with an ace and after La Verne called its first timeout, Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) and Grier tallied kills of their own to make the score 23-20. Grier and Juergens each followed a Leopard point with the 24th and 25th points of the match. Both were kills.

Oshkosh and La Verne traded service errors to begin the third set before the trended of tied scores continued five more times until the Leopards put together a three-point spurt to make the score 11-8. They led by 15-11 headed into the timeout, however the Titans flipped a switch out of the break and went 7-1 to lead 18-16. Maren Motz (Hartland/Arrowhead Union) and Perlberg added two kills in a 3-0 spurt that brought the Titans past the 20-point mark of the set.

By the numbers

Perlberg registered her 22nd double-double in 36 matches, notching 16 kills on 41 attacks with seven errors and dug 13 attacks while adding a service ace and four blocks. Perlberg, who had reset the Oshkosh single-season total attacks record in the semifinal, extended her record past Jean Harmsen’s 1997 mark of 1,429 with 41 in the championship match for a total of 1,472 on the season.

Juergens also reached double-digit kills for the 19th time with 10. She scored twice from the service line, had four digs, and blocked a shot.

In their final match in yellow and gold, Izzy Coon (Fond du Lac/St. Mary’s Springs Academy) and Jaclyn Dutkiewicz (Franklin/Franklin) registered 17 and 13 assists, respectively. Dutkiewicz added 13 digs and Coon had eight.

Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) joined Perlberg with four block assists and Borrowman tallied three total (one solo).

Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) was the third Titan with double-digit digs with 10 to cap off her fantastic freshman campaign.

After the championship concluded, Coon, Grier, Panasuk, and Perlberg were all named to the all-tournament team Perlberg was selected as the championship’s most outstanding player.

Read more:

UW-Oshkosh athletics

The No. 5 seed Miami Hurricanes had their record season come to an end on Friday night, falling to the No. 4 seeded Kansas Jayhawks, 3-1, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Even in defeat, UM’s star was in top-form. Senior Flormarie Heredia Colon notched 14 digs and 27 kills, ending her college career with 1,896 kills, more than any other Hurricane in program history. Senior Naylani Feliciano also surpassed 1,000 career digs with 14.

The first set started off neck-and neck with Heredia Colon notching a kill to tie the set at five apiece. 

But right after, Kansas pulled away by going on a 5-0 run to make the score 10-5. During the run, Kansas senior Rhian Swanson had back-to-back kills. 

The ’Canes never closed the gap for the remainder of the set as the closest they would come after would be when senior Dalia Wilson tallied a kill to bring the Kansas lead down to 16-13. The Jayhawks went on to win the set 25-17, closing with a kill by freshman Selena Leban, taking a 1-0 match lead.

Like set one, the second set started out with a battle with an ace by Wilson giving Miami a slight edge for a 9-8 lead. However, the Jayhawks, trying to replicate the first set, once again went on a 5-0 run, this time to bring their lead to 13-9. 

Unlike the first set however, the Hurricanes responded to the run well. Their response was simple: they went on a run of their own. The ’Canes went on a 4-0 run, finishing off with a Heredia Colon kill to tie the match at 13-all. The remainder of the set was a back-and-forth battle with the score being tied late at 21 apiece. 

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, it would be the Jayhawks who would make the finishing blow as they won four out of the final five points. Kansas would win the set, 25-22, bringing them one set from the round of 16, leading 2-0.

Miami started the third set off well, leading 3-2 after a kill by Heredia Colon. In need of a set victory to keep the match and its season alive, Miami controlled the rest of the set, winning three of the last four points, two coming off kills by junior Ava Carney and one by way of an ace from Feliciano. UM would win the set, 25-22, cutting the match score to 2-1.

The fourth and final set began in Miami’s favor with two kills by Heredia Colon and an ace by Wilson gave them an early 4-1 lead. The lead would not last long as a Leban kill tied it up at 5-5. 

A 7-1 Kansas run gave them a 14-9 lead, but the ’Canes battled back for the rest of the set with UM even coming within a point of tying the match when they led the set 24-23. However, a kill by Kansas freshman Jovana Zelenovic tied the match and the Jayhawks then won three of the next four points to win the set 27-25 as well as the match, 3-1, sending themselves to the round of 16.

After the loss, Miami’s season comes to a close. They finished with a 27-6 (16-4 ACC) record, tying the 2002 team’s record for wins in a season for the program. This would also be the last time starters Feliciano, Heredia Colon and Wilson as well as other players, Jazmin Vergara and Lilou Stegeman, will wear the Miami uniform as they all will be graduating. 

Heredia Colon will continue her volleyball career in Major League Volleyball as she was selected in the second round, No. 10 overall, of the 2025 MLV draft to the Columbus Fury. 

Miami will have big shoes to fill next season.