The residence halls become dim as public health student, Leila Morrow, is on the last stretch of studying. Thoughts slow as she tries to recall every term for the tests lined up the next day, but she can’t sit at her desk any longer. Needing a break, Morrow steps out of her residence hall for a breath of fresh air in the late night. She heads for a walk along the well-lit campus as a way to take her mind off the piling stress. 

Walking a long campus, trips to the Recreation Center, journaling and connecting with friends, students are scrambling to find ways to manage the recurring midterms and final exams approaching. 

Academic stress may be the single most dominant factor that affects the mental well-being of college students, according to a 2022 review published in Frontiers in Psychology. For many Cal Poly students, that stress peaks around midterms.

“It’s just so much information to obtain in such little time,” Ayumi Sandez, microbiology freshman said. “Once one midterm starts, the second midterm is already coming up and you’re just stressed for the rest of the quarter.”

However, Cal Poly students are not facing this alone–therapy dogs, yoga, meditation workshops and planting activities are just some of the ways the university is offering support.

“We wanted to reach a wider range of students and support them in their wellness in different ways that are not necessarily limited to the Recreation Center,” Ella Boladian, kinesiology senior and Wellness Student Assistant, said.

Starting off exam season, on Monday, Apr. 28, students gathered in Studio 2 at the recreation center for an evening of guided yoga, meditation and journaling, led by instructor Kate Berman. 

Students are guided through yin yoga movements and journaling prompts as a way to calm the nervous system from outside distractions.  

“There are so many demands placed on college students, from their coursework, their jobs, their professors, themselves and their parents,” Berman said, describing why students might have a highly activated nervous system

According to Berman, yin yoga activates the vagus nerve, a part of the parasympathetic nervous system that helps slow heart rate and calm the body. In other words, it’s a way to shift students out of fight-or-flight mode and lower stress hormones.

Often, students leave the class transformed, Berman said. 

“At the beginning, I tend to witness a little bit of restlessness and maybe discomfort,” Berman said. “Towards the end, I see people really leaving a state of, like, kind of more calm and just slow.”

Since rebuilding the Cal Poly Wellness program for its first fully scheduled quarter this Spring, this relief is the kind of outcome the wellness events are designed to foster, Ella Boladian, Wellness student assistant said. 

“That’s all we really want, is just to promote wellness and give students events that they would enjoy,” Boladian said.

After partaking in the guided yoga, meditation and journaling event, Boladian said she noticed people walk out of the studio happy and smiling–an indication of the event’s success

Just outside, students can find more support on the Health and Wellness Lawn, where therapy dogs are brought in at least twice a month.  On schedule for midterms, dogs visited the Sequoia Lawn on Thursday from noon to 2 p.m..

During exam weeks is when the campus demands for therapy dogs are highest, according to Denise Fitzgerald, a volunteer with Alliance of Therapy Dogs.

Fitzgerald has been organizing visits to Cal Poly since 2008 and has seen firsthand the emotional relief these dogs provide – so much so that she recalled a student who, years later, recognized a therapy dog named Tucker at the park and credited him with helping her get through finals.

“There’s something about the human and dog bond,” Fitzgerald said. “Just being able to sit and pet a dog and sometimes just quietly, helps people just kind of forget about some of the stressful times that they may be going through.”

Beyond the organized support, students are finding their own ways to navigate midterms. This includes other types of physical activity and ways of coming together. 

“I like to take walks, especially night walks, or go to the Recreation Center,” public health freshman Leila Morrow said. “Other than that, I like to journal.” 

She also attends Panhellenic-organized study groups, which help her feel less alone during midterms, she said. This is something she hopes to see more of during exam weeks. 

“It’d be nice to see more community-driven study sessions. It’s kind of an intimidating thing to just get a group going in the first place, especially if it’s huge lecture halls,” Morrow said.

Jess Alvear, a political science and Spanish sophomore, balances two majors and a campus job–a combination that limits her time, adding to her stress.  

“I notice I’m either up late or squeezing in study time between classes. I think taking advantage of the short periods I have of free time during the day can kind of relieve my stress,” Alvear said. She spends this time staying connected, whether it’s calling home or spending time with friends, she said. 

“It just kind of helps me to relieve my stress a little bit if I share it with other people and we can kind of bond because I feel like it’s something everyone is going through,” Alvear said.

As midterms stretch on and students juggle jobs, the pressure continues, but so does the support. Whether it’s through a quiet yoga session, a call home or a few calming minutes with a therapy dog, students can find ways to reset.

For students like Leila Morrow, sometimes all it takes is fresh air and a walk in the calm night to reset and refocus before returning to a night of studying.

Final Results

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (May 31, 2025) –

Five more Northern Arizona track and field athletes punched their tickets to the NCAA Division I Outdoor National Track & Field Championships on the fourth and final day of the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in College Station, Texas.
 
Maggi Congdon (1,500-meters), Karrie Baloga (3,000-meter steeplechase), LiNay Perry (400-meter hurdles), Ava Mitchell (5,000-meters) and Agnes McTighe (5,000-meters) all punched their tickets to Eugene.
 
The Lumberjacks also broke three school records in the process.
 
Congdon left no doubt in the 1,500-meters, easily winning the event with a season-best time of 4:05.73, which is also a facility record and ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history. She punched her ticket to Eugene for the second-straight year in the event.
 
Baloga placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a blazing time of 9:40.13 to punch her ticket to Eugene for the second-straight year. The sophomore breaks her own school record, setting a new personal best after winning her heat.
 
Perry put together the best 400-meter hurdle race of her life, breaking her own school record for the second time in 48 hours. She clocked 56.70 to auto qualify and finish second in her heat and fifth overall, making her first career individual appearance at the NCAA Championships. She is the first Lumberjack on the men’s or women’s side in NAU history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter hurdles.
 
In the 5,000-meters, Ava Mitchell finished fifth in her heat to auto qualify to Eugene. She ran 16:00.58 to place 10^th overall. Agnes McTighe qualified by time, finishing 12^th in 16:01.83.
 
Maisie Grice placed 15^th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:08.72, followed by Hayley Burns in 10:16.86 to place 20th.
 
Also, in the 1,500-meters, Alex Carlson finished 16^th with a time of 4:15.13 and Keira Moore placed 19^th in 4:16.95.
 
Elise Stearns placed 19^th in the 5,000-meters in 16:19.13, followed by Emma Stutzman (22^nd, 16:24.43) and Moore (26^th, 16:25.99).
 
Today concluded action for NAU at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. The Lumberjacks will send nine athletes onto the NCAA Division I Championships from June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. They will be represented by Trevor Hook (javelin), Drew Bosley (10k, 5k), David Mullarkey (10k, 5k), Colin Sahlman (1500m), Congdon (1500m), Baloga (3k steeplechase), Perry (400-meter hurdles), Mitchell (5k) and McTighe (5k).
 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Five Brown track and field athletes competed in Jacksonville, Florida, attempting to qualify for the National Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Senior Jada Joseph punched her ticket to nationals for the second straight year in the triple jump after placing ninth with a mark of 13.01 meters. 

Elsewhere, Frank Monahan-Morang finished 46^th with a mark of 6.45 meters in the long jump on Wednesday. 

Delaney Seligmann and Jada Joseph competed in the women’s long jump on Thursday. Seligmann finished 20^th with a mark of 5.99 meters, while Joseph was 35^th with a mark of 5.84 meters. Also on Thursday, Chidinma Agbasi competed in the hammer throw, finishing 41^st with a mark of 53.97 meters. 

Joseph Oduro competed on Friday in the men’s triple jump. He finished 26^th with a leap of 15.20 meters. 

 

UP NEXT

Last year, Jada Joseph finished 22^nd at the National Championships, earning Honorable Mention All-America honors. The National Championships will take place June 11-14. 

 

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BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior Kaycee McCoy posted a personal best as the University of Houston Women’s Track & Field program concluded the 2025 season at the NCAA West First Round inside E.B. Cushing Stadium on Saturday.
 
McCoy ran a personal best time of 13.20 for a 15th-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles.
 
Freshmen Matilde Ochoa, Taylor Jackson, Norah Nwonumah and Carlysia Cresser posted a season best time of 44.21 for 16^th place in the 4×100-meter relay.
 
Freshman Invida Maurina concluded her first season as a Cougar in the 800-meter with a time of 2:05.87 in 17^th place.
 
UP NEXT

The men’s track & field program heads to Hayward Field for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships from June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore.
 
The Cougars will be represented by senior Grant Levesque (decathlon), sophomore Antrea Mita (high jump), senior Jamar Marshall Jr. (110-meter hurdles), senior John Adesola (110-meter hurdles), senior Trey East III (400-meter, 4×400-meter relay) and freshmen Sahfi Reed, Damarien Jacobs and King Taylor (4×400-meter relay).
 
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Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Track and Field by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH’s very own NIL collective – and by joining the Podium Club which provides support directly to Houston Track and Field for needs beyond its operating budget.

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Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team’s Instagram page at @uhcougartf.

 

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Arizona Wildcats women’s track and field team sent five more athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday.
 
Arizona sends 16 total athletes (7 women, 9 men) to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, June 11-14. Jade Brown and the 4x400m Relay of Ava Simms,  Keilee Hall, Camila Aguilar-Perez, and Antonia Sanchez Nunez punched tickets during the final day of the West First Round in College Station, Texas.

Brown punched her ticket to the finals after posting an 11.07 (wind-legal PR) in the 100m, marking the second-fastest time in the 100m in program history. Falling just short of her time (11.05), which is the all-conditions school record that she set in the 100m first round of the NCAA West First Round. 

The 4x400m Relay (Simms, Hall, Aguilar-Perez, Sanchez Nunez) tied the sixth-fastest time in program history, after finishing with a team best time of 3:32.56 to punch their ticket to the finals. That time bested their previous team best (3:33.88), which was set at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

 

NCAA Championships Qualifiers – Women

Jade Brown – 100 Meters (7th, 11.07 – 2nd in program history)

Simms, Hall, Aguilar-Perez, Sanchez Nunez – 4x400m Relay (8th, PB: 3:32.56)

Jenica Bosko – Long Jump (10th, 6.42m/21-3/4)

Tapenisa Havea – Shot Put (12th, 16.25m)

 

NCAA Championships Qualifiers – Men

Zach Landa – Shot Put (1st; 20.06m/65-9 ¾)

Jesse Avina – Javelin (5th; PB: 72.48/237-9)

Zach Extine – 110m Hurdles (5th; 13.23)

Reinaldo Rodrigues – Long Jump (10th; 7.71m/25-3 ½)

Youssef Koudssi – Discus (11th; 58.75m/192-9)

James Onanubosi, Brian Limage, Isaac Davis, Tyson Tippett – 4x100m Relay (11th; 39.33)

Other Results – Day 4

Simms, McKenna Watson, Dakota Minor, Brown: 13th (program record: 43.96) – 4x100m Relay

Antonia Sanchez Nunez: 14th – 400m Hurdles (57.41)

Jade Brown: 18th – 200m (23.38)

Mackenna Orie: 18th – Discus, 53.52m (175-7)

Taylen Wise: 18th – 100m Hurdles (personal best: 13.22)

Ava Simms: 20th – 400m (53.32

McKenna Watson: 21st – 100m (11.39)

McKenna Watson: 22nd – 200m (23.61)

Tapenisa Havea: 25th – Discus, 52.41m (171-1)

 

The Wildcats will be back in action from June 11 to 14 at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

 

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Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona Cross Country and Track & Field by following us on Facebook (ArizonaTrack), X (@ArizonaTrack), Instagram (@arizonatrack), and YouTube (@arizonawildcatstrack).

 

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Southern Illinois Track and Field program concluded the 2025 outdoor season Saturday in the NCAA West First Round. The Salukis fought hard but did not qualify for any events to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championship.

DAY ONE – Wednesday

The events kicked off with Darrione Williams competing in the long jump event. Williams placed 29th with a jump of 7.24 meters. He had two close fouls which would have placed him inside the top 10 and sent him to Eugene to compete in the championship.

“Heck of a run… Heck of a run,” said jumps coach Jacob Brydson.

Next up for the track events, Andre Jackson II ran in the 400M dash and just missed qualifying for the quarterfinals with a time of 46.31 seconds.

Shane Ashton closed out day one by qualifying for the quarterfinals in the 400M hurdles with a time of 50.65 seconds, finishing in 14th place.

DAY TWO – Thursday

Leah Thames and Teanna Bell started day two by racing in the 400M dash, just missing the qualifying mark with times of 53.52 and 53.96 seconds.

Thames closed out day two by racing in the 200M dash, missing qualifying with a time of 23.47 seconds, and missing the quarterfinals by .05 seconds.

DAY THREE – Friday

Ashton raced in the quarterfinals for the 400M dash, placing 18th with a time of 51.31 seconds.

The men’s 4x400M relay team, made up of Shane Ashton, Xavier Preston, Josh Delgado, and Andre Jackson II closed out the day, finishing with a time of 3:07.58.

DAY FOUR – Saturday

The women’s 4x100M relay team, made up of KeyAnn Wilson, Trinity Cleaver, Leah Thames, and Teanna Bell wrapped up the NCAA West First Round, finishing the race with a time of 44.59, placing 19th, 2.23 seconds behind first-place finisher USC.

The Salukis 2024-2025 season comes to a close with the conclusion of the NCAA West First Round.

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For the latest updates on the Salukis, follow the team on Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC) and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).