BOONE, N.C. – The App State men’s and women’s track & field team will compete at the Sun Belt Track & Field Championships, hosted by James Madison at Sentara Park in Harrisonburg, Va. on May 8-11. 
 
Thursday’s action will start at 10:30 a.m. with the multi-events, followed by field events at noon, and track events at 6:30 p.m. Multis will resume at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, with field events slated for 2:30 p.m. and track events scheduled for 5 p.m. On Saturday, field events will start at noon and track events are scheduled to start 4 p.m. The meet will be available to stream on ESPN+. 
 
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers split for the Penn Relays (April 24-26) and LR Open (April 26) to close out the regular season. The Black and Gold crowned a Penn Relays Champion, reset a trio of school records in Philadelphia, and notched 16 first-place finishes between the two meets. 
 
Senior Patrick Freeman clinched the Penn Relays title in the championship section of the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 5.26m (17′ 3″). Freeman and sophomore Matthew Gray hold the men’s pole vault school record with a clearance of 3.35m (17′ 6.5″), which they set at this season’s App State Open (April 18-19). On the track, redshirt senior Calbert Guest shattered the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase program record with a time of 8:41.01. The previous program record was 8:51.28, set in 2022. Guest placed sixth in the race and earned SBC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts. The women’s 4×800-meter relay quartet of junior Addison Ollendick-Smith, senior Regan Hodge, sophomore Rhys Ammon, and freshman Savannah Moore stopped the clock at 8:59.68 to place eighth overall. The previous App State record was 9:06.90, which was set in 2019. Moore, Ollendick-Smith, and Ammon, in addition to sophomore Nicole Wells, also broke the women’s distance medley relay (DMR) program record with a time of 11:46.94. The previous record was 11:59.12, set in 2017, and the Mountaineers rounded out the top-15 in the race. While in Philadelphia, the Black and Gold tallied 15 top-15 finishes. 
 
In Hickory, freshman Kendred Walker placed first in the men’s long jump (6.88m (22′ 6.75″)) and men’s triple jump (13.86m (45′ 5.75″), PR). Fellow freshman Ella Battel also registered a pair of first-place finishes in the women’s 1,500 meters (4:58.57, PR) and women’s 800 meters (2:22.32). The Mountaineers saw first-place finishes from freshmen Brittany Ellis, Emily Edwards, and Christopher Stewart in the women’s shot put (12.23m (40′ 1.5″)), women’s hammer throw (44.96m (147′ 6″), PR), and men’s shot put (16.64m (54′ 7″)), respectively. With a toss of 44.00m (144′ 4″), junior Jeremiah Burch Jr. clinched first in the men’s discus. On the track, App State saw first-place finishes from freshman Brandon Parker (men’s 200 meters, 21.17), junior Parker Kinney (men’s 400 meters, 47.93), freshman Ja’Naya Linder (women’s 400 meters, 56.81), senior Corlasia Scott (women’s 400-meter hurdles, 1:07.31), freshman Zach Makemson (men’s 800 meters, 1:56.22), and junior Maddie Quinn (women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, 11:59.98, PR).
 
Last Time at the Sun Belt Championships

At the 2024 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Mountaineers set a program record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay and totaled 10 podium finishes. In the team standings, the men’s squad placed fourth with 98 points, marking its highest finish at the championship meet since joining the Sun Belt in 2014. The women’s squad placed sixth with 53.2 points. 
 
Ashlee Osaji, Garrett Bivens and Ethan Lipham clinched gold in the women’s long jump (6.26m (20′ 6.5″), facility record), men’s 5,000 meters (14:27.41) and men’s 1,500 meters (3:52.30), respectively. The women’s 4×400-meter team of Wells, Sierra Smith, Daye Talley, and Jayla Adams placed second with a program record of 3:40.01, surpassing the previous school record of 3:42.17. Individually, Gray, Oliver Wilson-Cook, and Ollendick-Smith secured silver in the men’s pole vault (5.27m (17′ 3.5″)), men’s 10,000 meters (30:59.54), and women’s 800 meters (2:09.48), respectively. Additionally, the Mountaineers saw bronze finishes from Niejel Wilkins (men’s triple jump, 15.55m (51′ 0.25″)), Harrison Robinson (men’s 110-meter hurdles (14.00)), Jonah Bird (men’s 10,000 meters (31:09.51)).

App State to Host the 2027 Sun Belt Championships

On Monday, the Sun Belt announced that App State would host the 2027 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Boone at the Randy Marion Track & Field Facility. It will mark the Mountaineers’ first time hosting the Sun Belt outdoor championship meet as well as the first conference championship meet held in Boone since 2010, when the Black and Gold hosted the SoCon Outdoor Championships. 

 

Ranked Mountaineers

Senior Emma Russum remains the Sun Belt’s leader in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, women’s 5,000 meters, and women’s 10,000 meters. Guest also continues to lead the league in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase category, and is followed by Lipham, who stands third, and freshman Thomas Wlazlowski, who rounds out the top-five in the category. Guest and Wilson-Cook also remain third and fourth, respectively, in the men’s 10,000 meters. In the men’s pole vault category, Freeman and Gray both stand second in the league, while freshman Lilly Nichols and junior Ava Studney both rank third in the women’s pole vault category. Wells stands third in the women’s 400 meters, while sophomore Kendall Johnson ranks fifth in the women’s 200 meters. The duo of graduate student Ethan Turner and freshman Henry Stark round out the top-five in the men’s 5,000 meters, while the duo of Lipham and freshman Rowan Gwin round out the league’s top-five in the men’s 1,500 meters. The men’s 4×100-meter relay team of Parker, sophomore Armonté Ferguson, junior Ray Lee, and freshman Johnathan Wilson rank fifth in the Sun Belt.

 

Up Next 

The Mountaineers will host the Sunday Night Qualifier at the Randy Marion Track & Field Facility in Boone on May 18 before gearing up for the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

The NCAA East Preliminary Round is slated for May 28-31 and will be hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. The top-48 declared student-athletes in each individual event and the top-24 declared relay teams will advance to the East Prelim meet. 

 

Freeman, Gray, and Guest currently rank among the top-48 on the NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifying List. In the men’s pole vault category, Freeman and Gray stand tied for 14th, while Guest ranks 16th in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase category. Freeman and Gray check in at 32nd nationally in the men’s pole vault, and Guest stands 41st in the NCAA in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. 

 

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced the Lady Vols’ 2025 schedule Wednesday, which includes matches against 11 NCAA Tournament teams and four conference champions from last season.
 
“We are excited to release the 2025 schedule as we look towards another great year,” Rackham Watt said. “The goal is that we learn about ourselves early on and play a variety of opponents who will prepare us for the conference season. The SEC will be as challenging as ever and will have a new look as we welcome back the SEC Tournament. The team is preparing this summer to compete for a championship this fall.”
 
The Big Orange’s schedule features 14 home matches, starting with a contest against South Florida on Aug. 29. Lady Vol fans can purchase their season tickets, with general seating prices starting at $50. The reserved seating option is back again this year. Fans interested in those seats, which will be $75, should fill out the interest form, and a member of the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office will reach out in the coming weeks.
 
Last year, UT posted a 10-3 record at Food City Center while playing in front of the five largest crowds in program history. Vol Nation shattered the Tennessee volleyball records for total attendance (41,544) and average attendance (3,196) for the second straight season.
 
The 15-match SEC schedule was announced in April. For the first time in conference history, volleyball will feature programs from all 16 member institutions. Notable changes for this season’s league matchups include playing every team just one time and the return of the SEC Volleyball Championship for the first time since 2005.
 

Nine teams, including the Lady Vols, from the SEC earned bids to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Four squads (Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Texas A&M) advanced to the second weekend, with the Wildcats making it to the Elite Eight. Tennessee hosts the Gators and Aggies this season and will go on the road to take on the Longhorns and Kentucky.
 
Here’s a breakdown of Tennessee’s non-conference opponents:
 
South Florida // August 29 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Vols kick off the 2025 campaign with a matchup against the reigning American Athletic Conference regular season champions, the South Florida Bulls. Last season, USF posted a 19-10 record, going 14-2 in conference play, and defeated 10th-ranked Florida in five sets in Gainesville. The Bulls return 2024 AAC Player of the Year and AVCA All-American outside hitter Maria Clara Andrade, who tallied 453 kills, 507 points, 4.69 points and 4.19 kills per set. Tennessee is 2-0 all time against the Bulls, but the two teams haven’t met on the court since 1989.
 
Purdue // August 31 // Nashville, Tenn. (Bridgestone Arena)
As previously announced, the Big Orange and Purdue will faceoff in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena on the opening weekend of the volleyball season as part of the Broadway Block Party. The triple-header event features three SEC teams taking on three Big Ten foes. The Boilermakers are coming off a 27-7 campaign that saw them advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a No. 8 AVCA final ranking. Purdue returns 2024 Second Team All-Big Ten setter Taylor Anderson, who ranked eighth nationally in assists per set (11.25) and guided the team to its third-highest hitting percentage in single-season history (.280). The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
 
Wofford // September 4 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
The two-time reigning SoCon Tournament Champions put together a 23-9 campaign in 2024, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers return the SoCon Libero of the Year in Laney Klika and All-Freshman Team honoree Bradley Brown. Klika spearheaded a defense that finished fifth in the country in digs per set (18.41) and 26th in opponent hitting percentage (.169). She recorded 614 digs, 142 assists and 30 aces. The Big Orange owns a 2-1 record against the Terriers, with all three meetings coming since 2015.
 
Samford // September 5 // Knoxville // 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs began their 2024 campaign with a five-set victory of Mississippi State and finished with a 15-12 record. The squad is led outside hitter Kaleigh Meritt, a two-time All-SoCon selection and 2023 Freshman of the Year for the league. She boasts 751 kills, 504 digs, 75 blocks and 58 aces after her first two seasons at Samford. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
 
Winthrop // September 5 // Knoxville // 7 p.m.
Winthrop posted a 16-11 record last year and finished second in the Big South with a 12-2 conference slate. The Eagles earned a second-straight bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The team is led by First Team All-Big South selection Avery Jolley, who is a native of Knoxville and played at West High School just a couple of miles from UT’s campus. As a junior, the outside hitter finished with 320 kills and 263 digs. The Lady Vols own a 4-2 record all time against the Eagles, with the last showdown coming in 2018 – a sweep for UT.
 
Delaware State // September 13 // Queens, N.Y. // 12 p.m.
Delaware State is the reigning MEAC Champions, besting Howard in the championship match to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets put together a 17-14 record for the season behind a trio of all-conference players who return in 2025. Outside hitter Gerren Tomlin garnered All-MEAC First Team honors after leading the team with 366 kills, 310 digs and 58 aces. She also brought home the 2024 MEAC Championship MVP award. Hannah Sanders was a second team selection at middle blocker, while setter Paige Ahakuelo was the MEAC Rookie of the Year. Tennessee’s only other meeting with the Hornets came in a sweep in 2015.
 
St. John’s // September 14 // Queens, N.Y. // 1 p.m.
St. John’s played its best volleyball down the stretch of the 2024 campaign, winning eight of its final 11 matches. The Red Storm earned a third-straight NIVC bid, advancing to the Fab Four with wins over Virginia and UConn in the process. The squad finished with a 24-13 record and was led by unanimous All-BIG EAST Team honoree Erin Jones. The right-side hitter and setter earned AVCA All-North Region honors after pacing the team in points (596.5), kills (504), service aces (58), points per set (4.32), kills per set (3.65) and aces per set (0.42) and ranking second with 405 digs and 316 assists. She registered a BIG EAST record 11 triple-doubles along with 13 double-doubles. This will be the first meeting between the Red Storm and Big Orange.
 
Rider // September 18 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
Rider finished third in the MAAC standings last year, tallying a 14-4 conference mark and a 16-17 overall record. The Broncs will be led by a pair of all-conference performers in outside hitter Kiannisha Santiago and middle hitter Molly Rhode. Santiago was a first team pick after recording 350 kills, 144 digs and 101 blocks, while Rhode dominated at the net with 139 rejections – good for 1.28 blocks per set – to go along with 143 kills, 55 digs and 22 aces. This will be the first meeting between the Broncs and Tennessee.
 
Kennesaw State // September 19 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Vols round out non-conference play with a match against Kennesaw State, who finished last season with a 14-17 record and a 10-8 mark during its inaugural season in the CUSA. The Owls return first team all-conference selection Manu Johnsen at outside hitter. She had 454 kills and 38 aces as a junior in 2024 and averaged 3.79 kills and 4.33 points per set. Tennessee last played the Owls in 2014, taking the match in four sets.
 
2025 Tennessee Preview
Tennessee is led by two-time All-American setter Caroline Kerr. The rising redshirt junior has guided the Lady Vol offense each of the last two seasons, boasting 2,314 career assists and averaging 11.02 assists per set.
 
UT returns plenty of experience at the middle blocker position with Keondreya Granberry, Klaudia Pawlik and Chelsea Sutton. Granberry was a 2024 AVCA South All-Region Team selection after ranking second nationally and leading the SEC with a .455 hitting percentage. She finished the season with 240.5 points, 189 kills, 93 blocks, 26 digs and six assists and led the team in blocks for the third year in a row.
 
In total, eight returners saw action in at least 50 sets last fall, while Kerr and Granberry started in all 27 matches. Outside hitter Hayden Kubik (25), right side hitter Paityn Chapman (19) and Sutton (14) each earned starting nods in double-digit contests. Chapman and Kubik ranked second and third, respectively, on the team in kills last year, combining for 445 between the two.
 
The Lady Vols will have seven new faces on the roster next fall, added three individuals from the transfer portal and signed four freshmen. Of the transfers, senior libero Gülce Güçtekin (pronounced GOOL-jay GOOCH-tek-in) and redshirt senior outside hitter Starr Williams bring plenty of experience to the roster and are expected to contribute right away on Rocky Top.
 
Outside hitter Maggie Dostic was the top signee in UT’s recruiting class, checking as the No. 31 overall recruit in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. As a senior, Dostic was the 2024 MaxPreps Player of the Year for Florida and garnered second Team All-American honors from the organization. She posted 311 kills on .313 hitting, 166 digs, 51 aces and 27 blocks.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Master’s (Calif.) finished the season at No. 1 in the postseason poll after winning its first title at the 2025 NAIA National Championship with no blemish on the Mustangs record. The last time a team was rated No. 1 for an entire season and went undefeated was 2021, when Grand View (Iowa) won its first title. 

 

Poll Methodology:

• The poll is for publicity purposes only and has no weight or bearing in the selection process for national championship field consideration.
• A panel of head coaches representing each conference and Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) voted on the poll.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter votes the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest vote for each team (a non-vote is considered a low vote) is removed.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.
• Records listed are as of the end of the day on Monday of the poll week.
• For the first preseason poll, there is no column referencing the last time, as polls are new and different from the rating system.

 

RANK	FINAL RATING	INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES]	RECORD	FINAL POINTS
1	1	The Master’s (Calif.) [10]	27-0	160
2	2	Saint Xavier (Ill.)	31-1	152
3	7	St. Thomas (Fla.)	25-2	141
4	5	Missouri Valley	22-5	139
5	3	Lawrence Tech (Mich.)	27-3	124
6	11	Georgetown (Ky.)	24-5	115
7	8	Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.)	18-7	113
8	4	Missouri Baptist	27-6	111
9	9	Park (Mo.)	20-7	94
10	6	Grand View (Iowa)	19-8	90
11	14	Hope International (Fla.)	16-8	68
12	10	Mount Mercy (Iowa)	22-8	61
13	13	Campbellsville (Ky.)	23-8	56
14	12	Cornerstone (Mich.)	22-8	51
15	RV	UC Merced (Calif.)	10-14	46

Dropped from the Top 15: Westcliff (Calif.) 

Receiving Votes: Reinhardt (Ga.) 20, Webber International (Fla.) 17, Governors State (Ill.) 15, William Penn (Iowa) 11

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In partnership with Visit Tallahassee, the third Florida High School Beach Volleyball State Championships will take place this weekend at Florida State University’s Beach Volleyball Courts, which are located on the school’s campus. For the fourth straight year, Florida’s best high school beach volleyball teams will once again descend on Tallahassee this Friday and Saturday.

Setup as a two-day event, twelve teams have advanced out of their respective Regional tournaments to compete in this single-elimination style event. All State Semifinal matches will take place on Friday, with each classification’s State Championship Match conducted on Saturday. Of note, this is the first year three classifications have been conducted, after being a single class only sport these past three years. Heading into the weekend, defending champion Gulf Breeze has qualified and will be seeking a repeat performance in their newly established Class 2A. However, two time state champion New Smyrna Beach could stand in their way, as they also compete in Class 2A.

Tickets are currently on sale and available through GoFan for an advanced purchase rate of $12.00 per day, and a day of price of $15.00. Parking fee is already included in the ticket price and no onsite ticket sales will take place. Parking on campus is in the Spirit Way/Stadium Drive Garage. For a complete schedule, the playoff brackets and additional event specific information, please see below or visit the beach volleyball sport page.

State Championship Match Schedule*

Friday, May 9

• Class 1A State Semifinal #1, 8 a.m.
  

  • Episcopal (Jacksonville) vs. Westminster Christian (Miami)
    
     

• Class 1A State Semifinal #2, 10 a.m.

  • Orangewood Christian (Maitland) vs. Berkeley Prep (Tampa)
    
     

• Class 2A State Semifinal #1, 12 p.m.

  • Fort Myers vs. Gulf Breeze
    
     

• Class 2A State Semifinal #2, 2 p.m.

  • Port Charlotte vs. New Smyrna Beach
    
     

• Class 3A State Semifinal #1, 4 p.m.

  • St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) vs. Jupiter
    
     

• Class 3A State Semifinal #2, 6 p.m.

  • Winter Haven vs. Fletcher (Neptune Beach)

Saturday, May 10

• Class 1A State Championship, 9:00 a.m.
  

  • Defending champion: Gulf Breeze
    
     

• Class 2A State Championship, 11:00 a.m.

  • Defending champion: new classification
    
     

• Class 3A State Championship, 1:00 p.m.

  • Defending champion: new classification

*All match times are weather dependent and subject to change as necessary by Tournament Administration

Know Before You Go:

Where: Florida State University Beach Volleyball Courts

When: Friday, May 9^th – Saturday, May 10^th  

Host: Visit Tallahassee

Tournament Brackets: Class 3A | Class 2A | Class 1A

Schedule: Event Schedule

Event Information: clear bag policy in effect for spectators

Admission: $12.00 per day with advanced purchase & $15.00 day of (via GoFan)

Parking: fee included in ticket of admission (designated parking lot ONLY)

Championship Lodging: list of participating hotels (provided by Host organization)

Official Merchandise: Team IP

 

VIDEO: Millikan vs. Lakewood, Béisbol en español

The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters. The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013. Este es un video destacado del béisbol de la Liga Moore que Flor Garibay, uno de nuestros estudiantes pasantes del LBUSD, ha traducido al español.