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Mets Minor League Players of the Week

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Mets Minor League Players of the Week

Ryan Clifford

Week: 6 G, 23 AB, .522/.645/1.130/1.776, 10 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 8 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB (Double-A)

2025 Season: 93 G, 322 AB, .245/.367/.497, 79 H, 16 2B, 1 3B, 21 HR, 60 BB, 103 K, 4/6 SB, .290 BABIP (Double-A)

One of the better high school bats in the 2022 MLB Draft class, Ryan Clifford from Leesville Road High School, a public school in Raleigh, Noth Carolina, was considered a tough sign; despite having less-impressive-than-expected numbers in his junior and senior seasons, the raw tools screamed in your face and a commitment to Vanderbilt University made it likely that it would take some serious dough to sign him to a professional contract. The Mets were high on him and were considering drafting him in a high round thanks to their two first-round picks and additional QO free agent compensation round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft but were unable to make the money work with the other, higher-priority players they were already deciding to draft. That gave Houston Astros scouting manager Kris Gross the opportunity to make a play for the young slugger, drafting him in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, the 343rd overall selection made. Tailoring their draft around being able to afford Clifford by selecting players they would be able to sign underslot, the Astros signed the infielder for $1,256,530, roughly equivalent to the MLB-assigned slot values of second-round picks that season.

Clifford made his professional debut later that summer but only spent a year-and-a-half in the organization. On August 1, 2023, the Mets traded Justin Verlander to the Astros and received the 19-year-old Clifford and Drew Gilbert in return. Clifford was assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones and finished out the rest of the season there, hitting .188/.307/.376 in 32 games with 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 1 stolen base, and 18 walks to 51 strikeouts. All in all, with Brooklyn, Single-A Fayetteville, and High-A Asheville, Clifford hit .262/.374/.480 with 20 doubles, 24 home runs- one of just 5 teenagers to hit 20+ in 2023-, 5 stolen bases in 7 attempts, and 64 walks to 140 strikeouts on the season.

Clifford returned to the Cyclones to start the 2024 season, and while the numbers did not exactly jump off the pages, he was solidly above-average in the 31 games he played there. The 20-year-old hit .216/.412/.304 with 6 doubles and 1 home run, his power numbers suffering and his walk rate benefitting from a weak Brooklyn Cyclones lineup that made it easy to pitch around the young slugger. When he was promoted to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in mid-May, Clifford began showing off the plus power that makes him so dangerous as a hitter and capable of carrying an entire team for days at a time. Appearing in 98 games, Clifford hit .231/.359/.457 with 21 doubles, 18 home runs, 3 stolen bases, and 63 walks to 117 strikeouts. On the whole, he hit a combined .228/.372/.432 in 129 games on the season with 27 doubles, 19 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 95 walks to 160 strikeouts. His walk total led the minor league system, while his home run and strikeout total both placed him in third.

He began the year with Binghamton and through 93 games is hitting .245/.367/.497 with 21 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 60 walks to 103 strikeouts. With roughly two months left of the season to go, Clifford has already eclipsed his 2024 home run total, but the rest of his stat line is more or less in line with his 2024 numbers. While, in most cases, a player making no real improvement while repeating the same level would be a source of concern, there is still plenty of time for the slugger to improve as a ballplayer, as his solid track record belies his age; Clifford would have been draft eligible a few weeks ago had he initially attended Vanderbilt out of high school instead of turning pro.

At the plate, the 6’3”, 200-pound Clifford stands square at the plate, holding his hands at his head and angling his bat head at 10:00. He swings with a slight kick/toe tap without much of a load or weight transfer. His left-handed stroke is smooth, efficient, and quick, producing light tower power, but it is also long and inefficient against pitches in the upper half of the zone and pitches with premium velocity. While the raw power is easily plus, the swing-and-miss issues will make it difficult to fully tap into it. When everything is in sync, Clifford has the ability to single-handedly decide ballgames, and when he gets hot, he gets hot; his very patriotic 1.776 OPS this past week is the highest OPS for a Player of the Week in 2025, and may very well even be the highest in the history of this feature.

He does have an advanced approach at the plate as compared to most other players his age, making smart swing decisions, working counts and focusing on pitches he can drive, but many of the walks he drew in the lower levels of the minor leagues were from facing pitchers with either no interest in facing him head on, or were from pitchers with poor command. Even still, Clifford can sometimes be too passive at the plate when pitchers do not show pinpoint control, working himself into unfavorable counts by coming up to the plate with the intention of not swinging at anything questionable or borderline.

Defensively, Clifford provides little value at any of the positions that he played in 2023. In the outfield, he is a net neutral fielder, buoyed by his strong arm. His speed is fringy at best and based on his body type, as he ages he will likely lose additional athleticism and range. His read of the ball off the bat and the routes that he takes in the field are both suboptimal, and more work needs to be put in to improve both. His work at first base is also not great and needs to improve his receiving abilities and his reactions to quick plays.

Justin Hagenman

Week: 2 G (0 GS), 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (Triple-A)

2025 Season: 14 G (8 GS), 46.1 IP, 47 H, 33 R, 29 ER (5.63 ERA), 9 BB, 51 K, .279 BABIP (Triple-A)

It isn’t often that a relief pitcher wins Pitcher of the Week. For that to happen, the week’s starting pitchers have had to have been all unremarkable and that pitcher coming out of the bullpen had to have been very, very good. For the most part, starting pitching this past week was indeed very unremarkable, with Nolan McLean being the only qualifying starter to have a legitimately notworthy outing. The latter? Well, I don’t know if I would say that Hagenman had a very, very good week, but it was ultimately solid enough to outshine McLean. The right-hander appeared in two games against the Omaha Storm Chasers, once relieving the rehabbing Paul Blackburn and once relieving Alex Carillo, who was relieving the rehabbing Paul Blackburn.

Acquired by the Mets as a minor league free agent this past winter, the New Jersey native made his major league debut in mid-April of this year after spending years slowly growing and developing in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox minor league systems. Hagenman threw 3.1 innings against the Minnesota Twins, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits, while walking 0 and striking out 4. He was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse and not summoned back to Queens until mid-June, when he threw 2.2 scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves, allowing 2 hits, walking none, and striking out 1. After being sent down again, he most recently saw MLB innings in early-July. On July 4th, he was called up to be the spot starter against the Yankees, and things did not go well for him: the right-hander gave up 4 earned runs over 4.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, walking none, and striking out 5. A few days later, on July 10th, he gave up 2 earned runs against the Baltimore Orioles over 2.0 innings in relief, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. Hagenman’s 5 scoreless innings this past week are his first since that disastrous week-plus.

At the Triple-A level, the right-hander does not have a particularly well-defined role. A “bulk innings guy”, he has outright started a handful of games, piggybacked a rehabbing Major League starters for a handful of games, appeared as a pure one-inning reliever for a handful of games, and has appeared as a multi-inning reliever for a handful of games. More consistency, whether it be as an “opener” who just goes through order once or so, or a long-reliever who gives his manager a few innings out of the pen, may help Hagenman, who has a cumulative 5.63 ERA in 46.1 innings in the rough International League pitching environment.

The 27-year-old right-hander throws from a low-three-quarter arm slot with a bit of effort in his delivery. The 6’3”, 205-pound right-hander mainly relies on four-pitch mix that includes a two-seam fastball, a cutter, a slider, and a changeup, with his fastball generally grading out as fringe-average and his cutter, slider, and change all grading as average. This season, his sinker is being used 42.1% of the time this season, his cutter 28.4%, his change-up 19.8%, and his slider 13.2%. While his stuff is only so-so, all of his pitches play up a bit because of his excellent command and control; the right-hander walked just one batter in his 12.1 major league innings so far this year and has a 4.6% BB% for his time in Syracuse. Hagenman can pound the zone with his pitches, throwing his secondary pitches outside to get batters fishing

Fly balls were an issue for Hagenman coming into the season and they remain so, as he is running a 40.6% Flyball Rate. While his Groundball Rate is slightly improved, up from 33.8% to 37.6% this season thanks to fewer line drives, his HR/FB Rate is still hovering around 20% and remains problematic. The long ball bit him in a major way in his limited major league innings, allowing three homers in 12.1 innings, and could be potentially be a fatal Achilles heel for Hagenman.

Players of the Week 2025

Week One/Two (March 28-April 6): Joey Meneses/Zach Thornton
Week Three (April 8-April 13): A.J. Ewing/Zach Thornton
Week Four (April 15-April 20): A.J. Ewing/Zach Thornton
Week Five (April 22-April 27): Jon Singleton/Jonah Tong
Week Six (April 29-May 5): Jacob Reimer: Felipe De La Cruz
Week Seven (May 6-May 11): Ryan Clifford/Jonah Tong
Week Eight (May 13-May 18): A.J. Ewing/Jonah Tong
Week Nine (May 20-May 25): Jesus Baez/Zach Thornton
Week Ten (May 27-June 1): Colin Houck/Wellington Aracena
Week Eleven (June 3-June 8): D’Andre Smith/Jonah Tong
Week Twelve (June 10-June 15): Jett Williams/Brendan Girton
Week Thirteen (June 17-June 22): Chris Suero/ Wellington Aracena
Week Fourteen (June 24-June 29): Elian Peña/Wellington Aracena & Brandon Sproat
Week Fifteen (July 1-July 6): Jacob Reimer/Jack Wenninger
Week Sixteen (July 8-July 13): Jett Williams/Noah Hall
Week Seventeen (July 15-20): N/A (Draft Week)
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Kentucky Volleyball falls to Texas A&M in the National Championship Match

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December 22, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WKYT) – In its second ever NCAA championship match, the Kentucky Volleyball team fell to Texas A&M, ending its season as the national runner-up.

The loss also ends Kentucky’s 27-match winning streak.

Kentucky came out flat against Wisconsin and made sure the opposite happened in this game. The Wildcats (30-3) jumped out to a 10-4 lead highlighted by three early blocks with two coming from Asia Thigpin.

The Aggies (29-4) would eventually settle in and go on 6-1 run heading into the final phase of the set, forcing Kentucky to call a timeout after A&M pulled within two. The set would end up being tied at 24 after an A&M kill.

Texas A&M would end up scoring the next two points to take set one 26-24.

A&M’s momentum carried over to start the second set. The Aggies defense was leading the way, preventing a lot of Kentucky attacks from reaching the floor and built a wall at the net that led to multiple blocks.

The Wildcats couldn’t muster any offense, going down 10-5 before calling at timeout. At that point, UK was hitting .000% with only three kills on 20 attempts.

The A&M front line was causing problems all set, which threw the Cats off. Kentucky took its final timeout of the set after going down 15-7.

Kentucky would end up dropping set two 25-15 into the five minute break. The Cats would have to pull out a reverse sweep to win.

The pressure from the Aggies continued in the third set. A&M took an early 8-3 advantage. UK would climb back in it within two, down 10-8. The Aggies would go into the tv break up 15-10.

A&M would go on another small 4-1 run, only six points away from the title, when Kentucky took its final timeout of the match down 19-11.

Texas A&M would go on to close out the match 25-20 claiming the first national championship in program history and ending Kentucky’s 27-match winning streak and season.

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Texas A&M Sweeps Kentucky in National Championship Match – UK Athletics

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December 22, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M Aggies swept top-seeded Kentucky 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20) on Sunday to win the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championship. The win for Texas A&M marks its first NCAA national championship in program history and the Aggies become the second school all-time to win the title out of the Southeastern Conference.

Kentucky had a set point in set one at 24-23, but the Aggies closed the set on a 3-0 run with a UK hitting error and a TAMU stuff to close the set, 26-24 and TAMU never trailed again the entire rest of the match. The Wildcats finish their historic season 30-3 overall with Sunday’s loss snapping a 27-match win streak. UK won the SEC regular season with a perfect league record and defeated Texas in five sets to win the SEC Tournament Championship back in November.

Sunday marked the final match in the Blue and White for Eva Hudson, who as the lone senior on the team, closes her career. Hudson was the 2025 SEC Player of the Year, an AVCA First Team All-American and finalist for AVCA National Player of the Year. She finished Sunday’s match with 13 kills on 45 swings and four digs. Hudson was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team with Texas A&M’s Ifenna Cos-Okpalla named the MOP of the tournament.

This was Kentucky’s second time in the NCAA National Championship match in program history, with the first coming back in 2020 in Omaha, when the Wildcats beat Texas 3-1 to secure the program and the conference’s first-ever NCAA title. This was also UK’s second appearance in the NCAA Final Four with 2020 being the first in program history.

For Texas A&M, the Aggies were led by Logan Lednicky who registered 11 kills on 32 swings with Kyndal Stowers having 10 to put two TAMU players into double figures Sunday afternoon. TAMU as a team sided out at 70 percent or better in all three sets, something no opponent Kentucky played all season did in a single set, much less three in one set. Texas A&M finishes its season with a 29-4 record and was 14-1 in the SEC.

Set 1

Kentucky was in front for a majority of the opening set with its lead as large as six points as late as 18-12, but the Aggies came back to take the set in a deuce frame, 26-24 as UK’s passing fell apart down the stretch of the set. Kentucky scored the first three points of the frame and took a 6-1 lead through seven points that pushed the Aggies into an early timeout down by five. A&M could not close the gap for the large spread of the set with a kill from Kennedy Washington on a slide making things 18-12 as TAMU called its second and final timeout. Out of the stoppage, an Aggie sideout led to a 5-0 Aggie run and Texas A&M pulled even with the Wildcats at 20-20. UK got a kill from Eva Hudson at 23-23 to hand the Wildcats a set point, but that attempt was thwarted by the Aggies and TAMU proceeded to close the set on a 3-0 run to take the opening set, 26-24. Kentucky hit .171 in the set with Texas A&M hitting .205. Hudson, Brooklyn DeLeye and Lizzie Carr led the way for UK with four kills each as Kennedy Washington also had a pair for UK. Kassie O’Brien logged 15 assists on 16 of UK’s kills with Hudson’s four digs leading the way for the Wildcat defense.

Set 2

Texas A&M dominated the second set from start to finish, taking the 2-0 lead with a 25-15 second set win. Kentucky hit negative in a set for the first time all season as the Wildcats had just 10 kills to 11 errors in the frame to hit -.021. TAMU’s lead was as many as 10 at 20-10 and the teams exchanged points to the finish line as the Wildcats only scored back-to-back points in the set one time. The loss in the set marked just the second time this season that UK was held to 15 points or fewer with the other being in Thursday night’s semifinal match vs. Wisconsin when the Badgers beat UK 25-12 in the opening set. With the 2-0 lead, it marked the fourth time this season that UK had lost the first two sets in a match with UK’s matches vs. Pitt, Texas and Oklahoma being the other three and UK holding a 2-1 record in those matches.

Set 3

Texas A&M won five of the first six points and ran away from the Wildcats in the third set. The Aggies sided out at 70 percent in the third set and won the match on their second Championship Point to close things out, 25-20.

For the latest on UK Volleyball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @KentuckyVB.





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The Star’s All-County Girls Volleyball First Team for the 2025 season

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December 22, 2025

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Updated Dec. 21, 2025, 3:18 p.m. PT

SAYLOR HALVORSEN, Thousand Oaks: In just her second year of high school volleyball, the 6-foot-2 sophomore outside hitter was simply a dominant force on the court this fall. Nicknamed "Gamechanger" by head coach James Park, Halvorsen racked up 373 kills, 61 aces, 147 digs and 44 total blocks, including an incredible 41 solo stuffs, and led her team in kills, aces and blocks. She had the best hitting percentage amongst the best hitting corps in the area. Halvorsen received first-team all-Marmonte League honors.

SAYLOR HALVORSEN, Thousand Oaks:
In just her second year of high school volleyball, the 6-foot-2 sophomore outside hitter was simply a dominant force on the court this fall. Nicknamed “Gamechanger” by head coach James Park, Halvorsen racked up 373 kills, 61 aces, 147 digs and 44 total blocks, including an incredible 41 solo stuffs, and led her team in kills, aces and blocks. She had the best hitting percentage amongst the best hitting corps in the area. Halvorsen received first-team all-Marmonte League honors. 

DOMINIC MASSIMINO/THE STAR



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Texas A&M wins 2025 DI women’s volleyball championship

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December 22, 2025

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No. 3 Texas A&M swept No. 1 Kentucky to win the 2025 DI women’s volleyball championship on Sunday, Dec. 21 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Both programs earned their spot in the final after clinching victories on Thursday, Dec. 18 to set up the first ever all-SEC national championship in DI women’s volleyball history. 

The Aggies knocked off No. 1 Pitt in three straight sets, continuing their historic season by etching their names in the program’s first-ever national championship. Kyndal Stowers powered the Maroon and White with 16 kills on .433 hitting while setter Maddie Waak orchestrated her balanced offense to an impressive .382 clip with four different Aggies earning at least eight put-aways. Texas A&M has now knocked off back-to-back No. 1 seeds (Nebraska, Pitt) and look to the next in No. 1 Kentucky. 

Big Blue earned a dramatic five-setter victory over No. 3 Wisconsin to earn its second ever national championship appearance and first since their 2021 national title. The Badgers seemed to have all control after a Set 1 25-12 victory, but Kentucky wouldn’t be denied. Eva Hudson was on fire, accruing 29 kills on .455 hitting while Molly Tuozzo’s back-court defense with 17 critical digs fought off a career night from Mimi Colyer. The Cats have the momentum heading into Sunday’s match with 27 straight wins. 

The full 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Thirty-one conference champions earned automatic bids to the tournament, with the NCAA DI women’s volleyball committee selecting 33 other teams as at-large picks.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball championship.

2025 DI women’s volleyball championship bracket

👉 Click or tap to see the interactive bracket

Updated Division 1 Volleyball Bracket

2025 DI women’s volleyball championship schedule

All times listed in ET

  • Selection show: 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30
  • First round: 
    • Thursday, Dec. 4 
      • No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0
      • No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2
      • No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2
      • No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 3, Tulsa 1
      • No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0
      • No. 6 UNI 3, Utah 2
      • North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1
      • Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2
      • No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0
      • No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0
      • No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0
      • Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2
      • No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2
      • No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0
      • No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0
      • No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0
    • Friday, Dec. 5
      • Marquette 3, No. 7 Western Kentucky 0
      • Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0
      • Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0
      • No. 6 TCU 3, SFA 0
      • No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas (Minn.) 2
      • No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1
      • Kansas State 3, No. 8 San Diego 2
      • No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0
      • No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, UMBC 0
      • No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0
      • Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1
      • No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0
      • No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0
      • No. 1 Nebraska 3, LIU 0
      • No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0
      • No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1
  • Second Round: 
    • Friday, Dec. 5
    • Saturday, Dec. 6
  • Regionals
    • Thursday, Dec. 11
    • Friday, Dec. 12
    • Saturday, Dec. 13
    • Sunday, Dec. 14
    • Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
    • National championship: Sunday, Dec. 21

DI women’s volleyball championship history

Here is the complete history of DI women’s volleyball champions:

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NCAA women’s volleyball Way-Too-Early Top 10 for 2026

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December 22, 2025

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  • Charlie CremeDec 21, 2025, 05:31 PM ET

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      Charlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.

The buzz from a thrilling NCAA volleyball tournament final four in Kansas City and a Texas A&M national championship hasn’t dimmed, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t too early to start thinking about next season. With the transfer portal already open, most of the country’s players and coaches already have.

Nebraska’s dominance this season looked like a forgone conclusion. Then one afternoon in Lincoln, Texas A&M shocked the world and turned the run to the national championship into a wide-open affair.

That’s what 2026 should be from the outset. So many great players like Pitt’s Olivia Babcock, Nebraska’s Harper Murray and Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye are back and will be on teams with a chance at a title.

The transfer portal has yet to take hold in full. Many rosters could get a shake up in the coming weeks. This top 10 is based on what we know now and is a little peek into how the run to next season’s final four in San Antonio could shake out.

1. Texas Longhorns

The freshman class, led by Cari Spears and Abby Vander Wal, was instrumental in getting the Longhorns back to a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. The Longhorns’ recruiting class for 2026 looks just as good with top-rated outside hitter, Henley Anderson, and top setter, Genevieve Harris. They will all still be led by Torrey Stafford, the 12th-best point producer in the country and one of the best all-around players.

2. Stanford Cardinal

Stanford tied for the ACC championship and did it with 14 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. Top hitter Elia Rubin will be tough to say goodbye to, but the Cardinal will have the depth and talent to win their first national title since 2019.

3. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The invincibility of 2025 Nebraska won’t be there with the losses of Rebekah Allick and Taylor Landfair. But Bergen Reilly, Murray and Andi Jackson form a core capable of the national championship that eluded the Huskers following their stunning loss to Texas A&M in the regional finals.

4. Wisconsin Badgers

The offseason might be nearly as long for Wisconsin as it is for Nebraska, as the Badgers ponder how it let the national semifinal match against Kentucky slip away. Coach Kelly Sheffield will also have to worry about replacing the likes of Mimi Colyer and Carter Booth, but a talented group of underclassmen led by All-American setter Charlie Fuerbringer will make Wisconsin a final four contender again.

5. Pittsburgh Panthers

The good news is that Pittsburgh has reached five straight final fours and still has Babcock for one more season. The bad news — the Panthers again failed to advance to a national championship game and will lose all-ACC setter Brooke Mosher.

6. Kentucky Wildcats

With the graduation of Eva Hudson, who was so vital to the Wildcats’ run to the final four, and the jump that Texas is expected to take, Kentucky’s streak of nine straight SEC titles could be in jeopardy. But top hitter DeLeye is back for her senior year and she’ll be joined by Lizzie Carr, Asia Thigpen and Kennedy Washington, Kentucky’s third-, fourth- and fifth-best scorers from this season.

7. Louisville Cardinals

With the ACC Freshman of the Year in Kalyssa Blackshear, the conference leader in blocks in Cara Cresse, the ACC’s second-leading setter in Nayelis Cabello and their top two hitters — Payton Petersen and Chloe Chicoine — all back, the Cardinals will be in position to shake off the disappointment of a fourth-place ACC finish and a loss in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament, their earliest exit since 2020.

8. SMU Mustangs

While setter Averi Carlson and top hitter Malaya Jones have used up their eligibility, the sophomore trio of Jadyn Livings, Favor Anyanwu and Natalia Newsome are expected back. Full, healthy seasons from Livings and Newsome would be a big boost. So will the addition of Big 12 Freshman of the Year Suli Davis, who has already announced her transfer to SMU from BYU.

9. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue, the surprise team of the season, was picked seventh in the Big Ten in the preseason yet reached the Elite Eight. Ravaged by transfers (Hudson and Carr were Boilermakers in 2024) and graduation and with a roster with just two seniors, Purdue leaned into its underdog role. That won’t be the case in 2026 if Purdue can keep a well-balanced team led by Kenna Wollard and Grace Heaney intact.

10. Texas A&M Aggies

The losses of program mainstay Logan Lednicky and setter Maddie Waak make repeating this season’s magic seem unlikely. However, the star power of Kyndal Stowers is obvious, which might be good enough to make the SEC a three-team race.

Also considered: USC, Minnesota, Creighton



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ACU unveils 2026 indoor, outdoor Track and Field schedules

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December 22, 2025

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ABILENE, Texas — The ACU Wildcats have released their 2026 track and field schedule, the team announced on social media.

ACU’s indoor season began December 6 with the 12-Degree McFerrin Invitational in College Station, Texas.

The Wildcats’ next meet is set for January 16-17 in Lubbock, Texas with the Corky Classic.

The rest of ACU’s indoor schedule is as follows:

  • January 23: Stan Scott Invite (Lubbock, TX)
  • January 30-31: Robert Platt Invitational (Houston, TX)
  • February 6-7: Charlie Thomas Invitational (College Station, TX)
  • February 13-14: Jarvis Scott Invitational (Lubbock, TX)
  • February 27-28: WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships (Spokane, WA)
  • March 13-14: NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Fayetteville, AR)

RELATED | ACU extends coach Keith Patterson’s contract through 2029 season

The Wildcats are set to kick off their outdoor season March 20-21, as ACU is hosting the Wes Kittley Invitational.

The rest of their outdoor schedule is as follows:

  • March 26-27: Angelo State David Noble Relays (San Angelo, TX), Texas Tech Masked Raider Invite (Lubbock, TX)
  • April 3-4: Texas Relays (Austin, TX)
  • April 10-11: McMurry War Hawk Classic (Abilene, TX)
  • April 17-18: Tarleton State Joe Gillespie Invitational (Stephenville, TX)
  • April 24-25: Baylor Michael Johnson Invitational (Waco, TX)
  • May 1-2: Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot shootout (Lubbock, TX)
  • May 15-16: WAC Outdoor Championships (Arlington, TX)
  • May 27-30: NCAA Outdoor Championships – West Preliminary (Fayetteville, AR)



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