Harvard’s track and field team capped off an impressive week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend, earning All-America First Team selections on both the men’s and women’s side.

Hungarian sophomore Ferenc Kovacs took home the bronze in the men’s 1,500-meter final with a time of 3:47.42 — becoming Harvard’s highest finisher in the event. Then, just two days later, he ran a 3:34.79 in the event at the Portland Track Festival to set a new Ivy League record and put him in a tie for the 14th fastest 1500-meter time in NCAA history. The two races added to Kovacs’ already impressive resume, after he broke the 1,500-meter school record during his freshman campaign.

Alongside Kovacs, seniors Chloe Fair and Izzy Goudros also received first team honors — an award given to the top eight finishers. Fair, who finished sixth in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, becomes just the fourth Harvard women’s hurdler to receive the honor. Goudros finished seventh in the heptathlon after a stellar long jump of 6.39 meters moved her up in the standings from 14th place and earned her a new school record.

The Crimson had an historic performance at the 2024 Outdoor Championships, sending a record 18 athletes and picking up a first-place finish from Maia Ramsden ’24. Still, even though the team did not match last season’s stand-out results, this season marked the third consecutive year the program sent more than 10 athletes to compete, with 15 making the trip.

Fair said that the energy of the meet was palpable — particularly due to its location at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

“Everyone there is actually genuinely fans of track and field,” Fair said. “You look up and the stadium’s almost full, and it’s just absolutely insane.”

Fair, who graduated in May and is now headed to the University of Georgia to continue her track career, said it was “tough” knowing that the meet was her last time competing for the Crimson.

“Being a part of Harvard track and field is the thing I am most proud of from my time at Harvard,” Fair said.

Senior Ben Rosa was one of Harvard’s six athletes to earn an All-America Second Team nod, as the Ivy League 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter champion finished tenth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA championships. Rosa is Harvard’s first All-American in the event since Crimson star Graham Blanks, who surrendered his remaining NCAA eligibility in December to compete professionally.

Because the race started off slowly, Rosa said he knew “there was going to be a big burn up somewhere in the second half.” But even as the bell lap arrived, the group was still clustered together, and he liked his odds.

“About 600 meters to go, we were still so bunched up. I was saying, ‘shoot, I could win this thing,’” Rosa said. “At that point, I was racing to win.”

With 200 meters to go, the race finally spaced out as Ishmael Kipkurui of New Mexico made a decisive move, gapping the rest of the field. Still, Rosa — who was also participating in the final race of his collegiate career — said he was content with his 10th place finish.

“10th is a little bit far removed from that, but I would not have had it any other way,” he said.

Sophomore Tito Alofe, who was participating in the long jump at the championships for the second straight year, had been battling a nagging knee injury coming into the meet. Just three weeks after winning the Ivy League championships with a personal best jump of 2.25 meters, he aggravated his knee while qualifying for the outdoor championships at regionals.

“When I competed on Friday, I just was not very close to 100%. I actually did better than I expected, to be 100% honest,” Alofe said.

But he will head into the offseason encouraged by his season and motivated for the future.

“While I did not end up getting first team all-American, which was my ultimate goal, I’d say I’ve put myself in a pretty good position to do pretty big things next year,” he said.

On the women’s side, senior Victoria Bossong capped off her decorated Crimson career with a ninth place finish in the 800 meters, earning All-America Second Team recognition.

With the NCAA championships behind them, Harvard’s track and field athletes will now have some time to rest before many return to Oregon for the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships at the end of July.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.

—Staff writer Cam N. Srivastava can be reached at cam.srivastava@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @camsrivastava.

On June 16 2025 WSU Athletics informed the men’s and women’s track and field teams that their scope of competitions will be narrowed. Sprinting and hurdle events will be reduced in the future along with field events such as throwing and jumping being cut altogether.

“The program will be shifting to a distance-focused approach,” WSU Athletics explained in a statement issued on Monday. “This change gives the WSU Track & Field program the best opportunity to remain competitive at the conference and national levels in distance events in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.”

Student-athletes affected by the cuts will still receive their scholarships if they decide to stay at WSU. Should they decide to pursue their career at a different university, transition support and services will be provided.

The new focus on distance events means that athletes like Mason Lawyer will be limited in their opportunities. In the late stages of May when qualifying for the NCAA Division-I Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Lawyer set a school record for the 200m sprint, running it in 20.34 seconds. On the same day, Lawyer along with Bryson Stubblefield, Parker Duskin and Keenan Kuntz set the school record for the 4x100m Relay running it in 39.09 seconds.

These performances punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship hosted by the University of Oregon on June 11-14. Lawyer finished 15^th for the 100m, 17^th for the 200m and 20^th for the 4x100m Relay alongside Stubblefield, Duskin and Kuntz.

This constriction towards distance events also comes off the heels of Evans Kurui receiving All-American recognition. The WSU sophomore competed in his first ever outdoor championship running the 10,000m distance event. He placed fifth with a time of 29:10.91, making him the highest ranking Coug in the championships.

WSU Athletes whose events are cut entirely include:

Women

• Alexandra Gustavel – Freshman – Jumps
• Nana Gyedu – Senior – Throws
• LindiDon Kessinger – Freshman – Throws
• Laura Lindquist – Junior – Throws
• Luceris Suarez Pacheco – Junior – Throws
• Bri Sackman – Freshman – Throws
• Nevaeh Wilson – Sophomore – Throws
• Baylee Wroble – Freshman – Throws
• Eva Lowder – Sophomore – Pole Vault
• Chloe Metz – Freshman – Pole Vault
• Tatum Moku – Sophomore – Pole Vault
• Madisyn Negro – Sophomore – Pole Vault
• Sarah Kovich – Senior – Heptathlon

Men

• Eli Lawrence – Junior – Jumps
• A.J. McGloflin – Junior – Jumps
• Antoni Smith – Sophomore – Jumps
• Mason Andulajevic – Sophomore – Throws
• Caden Hottman – Junior – Throws
• Maxwell Moore – Graduate Student – Throws
• Henry Sheldrup – Sophomore – Throws
• Blake Sturgis – Junior – Throws
• Kai Twaddle-Dunham – Freshman – Throws
• Tristian Webb – Sophomore – Throws
• Cody White – Sophomore – Throws
• Gavin Dimick – Sophomore – Pole Vault
• Seth Nelson – Sophomore – Pole Vault

Athletes who will have their events limited moving forward include:

Women

• Micaela De Mello – Redshirt Senior – Hurdles
• Zakiya Hill – Freshman – Sprints
• Ashley Hollenbeck Willems – Senior – Sprints
• Brooke Lyons – Sophomore – Sprints
• Lahela Ray – Freshman – Sprints
• Zoe Ray – Freshman – Sprints

Men

• Eysias Banks – Senior – Hurdles
• Grant Buckmiller – Sophomore – Sprints
• Milan Cieslak – Freshman – Sprints
• Royal Haley – Freshman – Sprints
• Keenan Kuntz – Redshirt Freshman – Sprints
• Mason Lawyer – Junior – Sprints
• John Parades – Junior – Sprints/Hurdles
• Parker Duskin – Junior – Sprints/Hurdles

No other cuts to athletics have been announced so far. However, as the 2025-2026 school year approaches there may be more realignments as funding is finalized.

CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University is looking for a new leader of its athletic department.

Doug Knuth announced he has resigned from his position as Southern Utah athletic director Tuesday morning three years into a tenure that featured highs and lows for the former embattled administrator at Nevada.

Knuth cited a need to be closer to his family in a statement from the university, adding that “it has been a privilege to work with the coaches, staff and student athletes. I couldn’t be more excited for the new opportunities that are coming.”

In a follow-up post from his personal account on social media platform X, Knuth noted the Thunderbirds’ “record fundraising” as well as an “all-time best academic and APR marks” and “new and renovated facilities with more coming soon.”

In three years under Knuth’s leadership, the university achieved its highest-ever APR score with a department-wide average of 985 and five teams earning a perfect 1,000.

The Flippin’ Birds’ gymnastics team won back-to-back MPSF championships following the dissolution of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, sweeping every major award this past year, and Thunderbird women’s basketball won the WAC regular-season and tournament titles in 2023 to clinch the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

The university also installed a new artificial turf softball field, renovated the basketball and volleyball practice gym, a new soccer stadium, and a “state-of-the-art track throws area” at Eccles Coliseum.

But Knuth’s departure is the second resignation from Southern Utah athletics in June, and comes eight days after head volleyball coach Kacey Nady resigned following four years with the school. In a news release, Knuth called the resignation “a great opportunity to identify a coach who can bring a new competitive vision to SUU volleyball,” which won 29 matches in four years.

The third-year athletic director who was under contract through December following stops at Nevada and the University of Utah also had a tumultuous end to his time in Cedar City. The university was under a department-wide Title IX investigation, as first reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy — an investigation Knuth publicly denied even as university officials told KSL.com that it “takes all reports seriously” while declining to address any specific allegations.

The investigation followed Knuth’s time in Reno, where he was a central figure in four Title IX investigations at Nevada during a long-term investigation outlined by USA Today, including allegations of disparaging comments about pregnant women and an alleged inappropriate relationship with an assistant cheer coach.

One of Knuth’s top assistants, deputy athletic director and operating officer Marie Tuite, was also involved in several investigations during her time as an administrator in San Jose State, as reported by Sportico.

Among other allegations, the veteran college sports administrator was accused of harboring a serial sexual abuser in the Spartans’ former longtime athletic trainer and retaliating against current and former employees who raised complaints, according to the report.

That complaint led to an investigation and a $1.6 million settlement with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Southern Utah hired Tuite in 2023 following a “thorough vetting process,” according to a school spokesperson.

The school appointed retired Utah fifth judicial district judge Tom Higbee to serve as interim athletic director, beginning July 15.

“We are grateful for Doug’s time and commitment to SUU’s Athletic Department,” said president Mindy Benson in a statement. “We recognize Doug’s accomplishments on fundraising initiatives for facility improvements, strengthening the student-athlete experience, and building a vibrant game-day culture. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Southern Utah also finds itself in the middle of one of the latest waves of conference realignment, with the Western Athletic Conference soon to be down to just five member schools — SUU, Utah Tech, Abilene Christian, UT Arlington and Tarleton State — when Utah Valley joins the Big West next July.

Tarleton, which has openly stated ambitions of moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, is also reportedly a leading candidate to join Conference USA if several expected waves continue to hit college sports, including the Pac-12’s reported heavy interest in Texas State out of the Sun Belt, according to ESPN and others. Louisiana Tech from CUSA is seen as the leading candidate to replace the Bobcats in the Sun Belt.

Twelve University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student-athletes were chosen for the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic At-Large All-District Team.

Honorees

• ʻEleu Choy – Men’s Volleyball
• Anson Cabello – Men’s Golf
• Josh Hayashida – Men’s Golf
• Tyler Ogawa – Men’s Golf
• Dane Watanabe – Men’s Golf
• James Whitworth – Men’s Golf
• Varnika S. Achanta – Women’s Golf
• Sarah Burton – Beach Volleyball
• Alana Embry – Beach Volleyball
• Daisy Logtens – Water Polo
• Roni Perlman – Water Polo
• Jordan Wedderburn – Water Polo

In order to be eligible, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA. While all student-athletes who meet the requirements can be named to the at-large all-district team, schools are limited to just six male and six female honorees.

Candidates came from a pool of more than a dozen of UH Mānoa’s NCAA-sponsored sports, including men’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, women’s water polo and men’s and women’s golf.

For more on the honorees, visit Hawaiiathletics.com.

The 2025 World Championships officially have a pool with the new World Aquatics Championships Arena (WCH Arena) being unveiled yesterday in Singapore at the Singapore Spots Hub.

The facility will be home to a few large aquatics events in the coming months, and the World Championships will not be the first event hosted in the new pool. Later this week, the Southeast Asian Age Group Championships will christen the facility from June 20th-27th.

Mark Chay, the co-chair of the Singapore 2025 organizing committee said “Young aquatics athletes from Southeast Asia will inaugurate the WCH Arena, followed by the professional athletes competing in the World Aquatics Championships and our Masters athletes participating in the World Aquatics Masters Championships.

At 4,800 permanent seats, the arena comes in just under the permanent capacity of some of the recent World Championships sites. The Duna arena in Hungary and the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha both have 5,000 permanent seats.

Swimming fans will also be pleased to read that the pool has a depth of 3 meters which matches World Aquatics’ recommendation when it comes to pool depth. This should assuage any concerns about pool depth which was a major conversation during the 2024 Olympics due to La Défense Arena’s depth of 2.15 meters.

Paris Olympians will see one familiar site with the starting blocks, which are the exact same model that was used at the Games last year.

Only Swimming and Artistic Swimming competitions will be held in the new arena. The rest of the events will be evenly spread out between Palawan and the OCBC Aquatic Centre

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