COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Thirty-two athletes from TCU track and field are set to compete at the NCAA West First Round Championships hosted by Texas A&M at E.B. Cushing Stadium May 28-31.
 
The NCAA West First Round Championships features the top 48 athletes in each event. Athletes will look to finish in the top-12 of their respective events to secure their ticket to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
 
MAKING HISTORY
The Horned Frogs are coming off a successful weekend in Lawrence, Kansas, at the 2025 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Conference Championship meet. As a team, the women finished third overall with 86 points, their best finish in program history since joining the Big 12. The men also made waves at the conference meet, finishing sixth overall with 64 points, tied for their second-best performance in school history (fifth in 2018).
 
Indya Mayberry was responsible for 28 of the team’s points, winning gold in both sprint events and helping TCU earn a silver medal in the 4x100m relay. The Fort Worth native was also named Big 12 Outstanding Freshman of the Year as voted on by the conference’s coaches.
 
TCU was crowned conference champions in six different events, including sweeping the men’s and women’s javelin and 200m titles. Preston Kuznof and Irene Jepkemboi won gold in the Big 12 javelin throw. The Frogs dominated the 200m with Kashie Crockett and Indya Mayberry winning event titles. Mayberry also won the 100m dash to sweep the outdoor sprints. Finally, senior Lloyd Frilot defended his indoor 800m conference championship, winning the outdoor title as well.
 
FROGS IN THE RANKINGS

TCU’s women have been ranked inside the top 25 of the USTFCCCA National Track & Field Rating Index for the entire outdoor season, including six different event groups ranked in the top 25. They currently sit at No. 15 heading into the regional meet.
 
Individually, the women boast eight top 12 times in the West Region Qualifying list led by Mayberry. The freshman boasts the No. 1 time in the 100m dash and the No. 5 time in the 200m. The Frogs also have a sprinters Iyana Gray and London Tucker sitting inside the top 10 seed times for the 100m dash, hoping to punch their ticket to nationals. Amelliah Birdow (400m hurdles) and Irene Jepkemboi (javelin) rank fifth in their respective events heading into the meet.
 
On the men’s side, TCU has five top 12 performances in the region. Senior’s Kashie Crockett (200m) and Lloyd Frilot (800m) have their sights set on Eugene. Jayden Douglas and Preston Kuznof are also in contention to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles and javelin throw, respectively.
 
SHE’S JUST A FRESHMAN
A freshman, Mayberry has burst onto the national scene, earning high praise on both the conference and national level. A four-time Big 12 Champion already, she swept the sprint races this season. During the indoor season, the Fort Worth native won both the 60m and 200m titles, and she followed it up with gold in the 100m and 200m at the outdoor conference championship meet to become the fifth woman in Big 12 history to sweep the conference sprints.
 
Mayberry also won her first National Championship, winning the indoor 200m (22.30) with the No. 7 performance in world history in the event. She has also been recognized on the watch list for The Bowerman Award, given to the most outstanding male and female track and field athletes in the nation.
 
SEASON RECAP
This season, TCU has seen a combined 14 school records fall. Sophomore hurdlers Amelliah Birdow and Jayden Douglas each lowered their own top times in the record books. Irene Jepkemboi also took down her own mark in the javelin throw and set a new Kenyan national record in the event, while freshman Preston Kuznof toppled the best mark in TCU history with his first collegiate throw (75.10m).
 
At the Big 12 Conference Championship Meet, junior Elise Dobson set the heptathlon school record with 5,338 points. Senior Llyod Frilot also took down head coach Khadevis Robinson’s program record in the 800m, dropping a 1:45.79. Mayberry also lowered the women’s 100m (11.03) and 200m (22.47) records.
 
Distance runner Graydon Morris added the 10,000m school record to his name this spring along with lowering his own 5,000m mark. His senior teammate Stone Burke also etched his name in the history books with the top 3,000m steeplechase time by a Frog. Lastly, Ben Kirbo vaulted his way to a new school record, clearing 5.47m in the pole vault last month.
 
The women have also seen school records fall in the 4x100m, 4x200m and Sprint Medley relay.
 
TUNE IN
First round competition begins on Wednesday, May 28, and runs through Saturday, May 31. The full meet schedule can be found here.
 
Fans can follow live results on Flash Results and stream all the action on ESPN+.
 
For all the latest TCU track and field news, follow the Frogs on X at @TCUTrackField, on Instagram at @tcu_track_xc and on Facebook at TCU Track and Field.
 

VESTAL, N.Y. — Redshirt sophomore Brian Luciano, graduate student Marcus Johnson and senior Jennifer Mui travel to the NCAA East Region Track & Field Meet, which will be held May 28-31 at the University of North Florida. The Bearcat trio earned the distinction by finishing the current outdoor track & field season ranked among the Top 48 performers in the East Region in an individual event. 

Johnson and Luciano return to the East Region Meet for the second year in a row while Mui is making her first appearance.

The top 12 finishers in each event at the NCAA East Region Meet advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 11-14 at the University of Oregon. The NCAA West Regional Meet, which is being hosted by Texas A&M May 28-31, will also send its top 12 finishers in each event to the NCAA Championships.

Luciano is seeded No. 11 in the men’s hammer, which is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 at 10 a.m. EST. He will compete in the last of four 12-person flights. The top 12 overall finishers qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Johnson is seeded No. 21 in the men’s 400 hurdles. The first round of that event is set for Wednesday, May 28 at 8:20 p.m. while the finals take place on Friday, May 30 at 7:25 p.m. 

Johnson in the first of six eight-runner heats on Wednesday. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next six fastest times – advance to Friday’s finals. 

In the 400 hurdle finals, there will be three eight-runner heats. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next three fastest times – advance to the NCAA Championships.

Mui, meanwhile, is ranked No. 40 in the women’s 3,000 Steeplechase (SC), which starts on Saturday, May 31 at 5:40 p.m. She is in the third of three 16-runner heats. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next three fastest times – advance to the NCAA Championships.

Since 2004, Binghamton has posted 48 regional qualifiers on the men’s side and 22 from the women’s squad.

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin volleyball and head coach Kelly Sheffield officially announce it’s non-conference slate for its 2025 regular season schedule. The Badgers will play five matches against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) coaches’ poll with all five participating in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

To open the 2025 season, Wisconsin will host Notre Dame on August 17 at the UW Field House in an exhibition match.

Following the exhibition, the Badgers will kick off the regular season with the Opening Spike Classic over Labor Day weekend with the event taking place at the Badgers’ Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. In the event, UW will open the event on Friday, August 29 against Kansas, with action resuming against Texas, Sunday, August 31.

In the month of September, UW will host four of its final six non-conference matches. In the first week of September, the Badgers will host UC Davis, Chicago State, and Milwaukee on September 4-5, and 9. 

Following the three-match home match stint, the Badgers will hit the road for a rematch with Georgia Tech on September 12, where they met just a season ago in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On a short turnaround, the Badgers will then travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette on September 17 at Fiserv Forum. 

Lastly, Wisconsin will wrap up its non-conference slate with Florida on September 21 at home.

Tickets are still being sold for the Opening Spike Classic and can be purchased HERE.

 

Continuing their reign as India’s volleyball powerhouse, Tamil Nadu clinched gold in both men’s and women’s categories at the inaugural Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) 2025 held in Diu. While the state’s dominance in volleyball is long-established, it was the inspiring story of two young men from Palavakkam fishing community that captured the nation’s attention.

Feat Without Formal Coaching

Robin Ravi (23) and Bharat Somu (22), silver medallists at KIBG and bronze winners at the CAVA Continental Cup finals in Bangladesh (2023), have emerged from the sandy shores of their coastal village with nothing but determination, self-taught skills, and the dream of representing India on the Olympic stage.

“We live on the beach. It’s our life. Walking, working, and playing on the sand is second nature to us,” Robin and Bharat said in unison.

Their journey began amid the nets and boats of Palavakkam, inspired by local seniors playing volleyball on makeshift courts. Robin started playing at age 10, Bharat at 15 — both without formal coaching. They learned through keen observation and relentless practice on a community ground that has now become a training cradle for beach volleyball aspirants.

Their story is symbolic of a larger movement brewing in Tamil Nadu’s coastal villages. According to A J Martin Sudhakar, veteran volleyball coach and administrator, and competition manager at KIBG 2025, the fishing communities possess a natural edge for beach volleyball thanks to their familiarity with the terrain and physical resilience shaped by seaside life.

“They have been practising on a ground within their own hamlet in Palavakkam. Their dream is to represent India at the Olympics,” said Sudhakar, who also serves as the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Volleyball Association.

Sudhakar, a 12-year executive member of the Asian Volleyball Confederation’s Beach Council, sees immense potential in the sport’s future in India. “Beach volleyball is one of the best spectator sports. It can be developed quickly. It’s time we support it fully,” he said, urging coastal states to follow Tamil Nadu’s lead.

Highlighting Tamil Nadu’s infrastructure advantage, he added, “We have courts even in schools. Districts like Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai have consistently produced top-tier players.”

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham University water polo program has experienced unparalleled success over the past five years and part of that success can be linked to Nicholas “Kola” Romano, GABELLI ’89, a Fordham trustee fellow and water polo alum, and his wife Kim Castellano-Romano, FCLC ’90, who have been generous supporters of the program. Fordham Athletics will honor the Romanos on Friday, October 17, by presenting them the Victory Bell Award at the Hall of Fame Ceremony in the McShane Campus Center as part of Homecoming Weekend.
 
The Victory Bell Award honors individuals who have brought distinction and honor to Fordham University Athletics through achievements not related to competition, coaching and/or administration. The honoree, selected by the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, embodies a sense of leadership and passion for Fordham Athletics and serves as an inspiration to the Fordham Athletics Family.
 
The Romanos have previously been honored by the university with induction into the Archbishop Hughes Society, an organization that honors those who have given generously over their lifetimes to the University.