DULUTH, Minn. – In the second day of competition at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, two Vikings emerged with an individual conference crown while others booked their ticket to tomorrow’s event finals.
 
Action started hot with Ella Bakken taking second place in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 36:04.64, garnering an All-Conference accolade. Taylor Melton was right behind her in fourth place with a time of 37:08.39 
 
For the men’s 10,000-meter run, Kadin Groen took third to claim his All-Conference honor. 
 
The women heptathlon athletes kept it going, sweeping the top three spots in the heptathlon 800-meter dash. Maria Pedroso took first with a time of 2:22.47, Ashton Massey with a time of 2:23.49 claimed second and Kylee Sallee with a personal best of 2:24.98 took third. 
 
Sallee went on to secure her first ever NSIC Championship title in the heptathlon, finishing with 4901 points. Pedroso was fourth with 4717 points and Massey ended up sixth with 4407 points.  
 
Sallee also jumped to claim the label of runner-up after taking second place in long jump with a mark of 19-04.00 (5.89 meters). Jayda Becker placed eighth with a jump of 18-03.75 (5.58 meters). 
 
Bryn Greenwaldt added NSIC Champion to her long list of accolades after jumping a height of 1.73 meters in high jump. That jump gives her the 15th spot overall on the DII College Outdoor Rankings.
 
Lindsey Young had a personal best in the 3000-meter steeplechase, earning All-Conference honors after finishing third in 11:11.01. Parker Fitzgerald also had a personal best in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase, taking ninth place with a time of 9:50.60. 
 
Three Vikings qualified for the women’s 1500-meter run final, including Ramsey Karim, Ally Sample, and Tenley Nelson. Ryan Hartman, Bryant Keller, Nick Batchelor, Payton Brown, Kieran Weigelt and Tyson Ricker all qualified for the finals on the men’s half of action. 
 
Andrew Martens will move on to Saturday after finishing first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.90. This time gives him the ninth-best time in Division II so far this season. 
 
Jude Jarding had a personal best and the sixth-fastest prelim time to qualify for the 400-meter dash with a clocking of 48.19. 
 
Sydnee Serck continued the personal bests in the 800-meter run and qualified for finals on Saturday with a time of 2:13.34. Caroline Sudbeck will also join her tomorrow in the event.
 
Pedroso qualified for finals in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.43 while for the men, Martens ran a 54.33 qualifying time and a season best. 
 
Nyanas Kur competed and is moving on to the finals in the 200-meter dash after running a time of 24.04. 
 
Augustana will return to competition in the final day of the conference meet as field events start at 11 a.m. and track events begin at 1:05 p.m.
 

–GoAugie.com–

The 2025 regularseason schedules for the Taylor Ducks football and volleyball teams have been released, as both squads continue preparing for their upcoming campaigns set to begin in the coming months.

Football

The Ducks will open the 2025 football season on the road against Gatesville on Friday, Aug. 29. Taylor will host its home opener the following week against Pflugerville Connally on Friday, Sept. 5, before welcoming Lago Vista on Friday, Sept. 12.

Taylor will travel to La Grange on Friday, Sept. 19, and return home to host Manor New Tech on Friday, Sept. 26. The Ducks will visit Austin Achieve on Friday, Oct. 3, and host Austin Northeast on Friday, Oct. 10, ahead of a bye week.

Coming out of the break, Taylor will host Austin Eastside Memorial on Thursday, Oct. 23, before wrapping up the regular season with back-to-back road games against Austin LBJ on Friday, Oct. 31, and Austin Travis on Friday, Nov. 7.

The Ducks are coming off a 5-6 season in 2024, which included a second-place finish in district play and a firstround playoff loss to Somerset.

Volleyball

The Lady Ducks will open their 2025 season at home against Rockdale on Tuesday, Aug. 12, before competing in the Westwood Showcase from Aug. 14–16. Taylor will then hit the road to face area rival Thrall on Tuesday, Aug. 19, and participate in the Bastrop Invitational from Aug. 21–23.

Taylor returns home to host Academy on Tuesday, Aug. 26, before traveling to Giddings on Saturday, Aug. 30.

District play begins with back-to-back home matches against Connally on Friday, Sept. 5, and Lampasas on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The Lady Ducks will then visit McNeil on Friday, Sept. 12, and Jarrell on Tuesday, Sept. 16, followed by a home match against Burnet on Friday, Sept. 19. Taylor continues the road stretch at Gateway College Prep on Tuesday, Sept. 23, Salado on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and Lampasas again on Friday, Oct. 3.

Taylor will host Jarrell on Friday, Oct. 10, then face Burnet on the road Tuesday, Oct. 14. The Lady Ducks will close out the regular season by hosting Gateway Prep on Friday, Oct. 17, traveling to Marble Falls on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and returning home for the finale against Salado on Friday, Oct. 24.

The Lady Ducks are looking to bounce back after finishing 6-29 overall and 2-10 in district play last season, missing the playoffs.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men’s track & field team qualified several runners for Saturday’s finals on the first day of the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday at Macalester Stadium. The Scots scored four points today but set the groundwork for more on Saturday.

On the track, senior Arlo Heitler (Hastings, N.Y./Hastings) ran the fastest time in the prelims of the 400 meters, clocking a 47.86 while easing to the finish line over the final 15 meters. First year Karson Sammons (Portland, Ore./Westview) nabbed the final spot in the 400 finals with a time of 49.47. The Scots also have two runners into the finals of the 800 meters, with first year John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) winning his heat with a time of 1:54.95, and senior Kalid Ali (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park) taking third in the same heat in 1:55.65.

In the 1500 meters, senior Tor Olsson (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) took eighth with a time of 3:55.40 for Macalester’s first point. Macalester’s 4×800-meter relay team of Ali, sophomore Daniel Wiltse (Missoula, Mont./Hellgate), first year Jack Riley (Wrenshall, Minn./Wrenshall) and junior Jay Lebakken (Minneapolis, Minn./Edina) finished fifth in 7:53.02, which ranks fourth all-time at Macalester.

The MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships conclude on Saturday, May 10 at Macalester Stadium. The field events get underway at 12:00 p.m., with the track events starting at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets for the Saturday session is $12 for adults and $3 for students per session. All ticket sales will be handled online by HomeTown Ticketing.

MIAC Outdoor Championships Website | Live Video | Live Results | Tickets | Meet Schedule |

The boys volleyball team crushed the Aragon Dons in four sets: 25-21, 28-The boys volleyball team crushed the Aragon Dons in four sets: 25-21, 28-26, 20-25, 25-20, on Wednesday evening. 

Before the match, seniors walked down an aisle of teammates and were honored with flowers and took photos with family.

The Bears started strong in the first set with consistent serving from junior libero Jaden Clark, jumping to an early 5-2 lead. A kill by senior middle blocker Luis Licea pushed the score to 9-5, but a string of missed serves and unforced errors allowed Aragon to close the gap to 12-11. 

A monster block by senior setter Peter Chriss gave the Bears breathing room at 19-16, but the Dons tied it up again at 20-20. Fortunately, a block from senior opposite hitter Owen Tokic and a run of topspin serves by Chriss helped the Bears pull ahead, and a smart tip to the middle from Tokic caught the Dons defense off guard, ending the set 25-21.

In the second set, senior outside hitter Dominic Auer opened with a series of steady serves to give the Bears a 3-1 edge. Junior outside hitter Ben Warner* subdued the Dons with a block, and freshman libero Nick Sandoval made multiple diving covers to keep rallies alive. A kill off an overpass by Chriss pushed the Bears ahead 6-3, and a string of tough serves from Warner stretched their lead to 10-4. After a kill to the line by Tokic, Aragon was forced to call a timeout.

The Bears came out of the timeout strong with a back-row kill by senior opposite hitter Jonny Kerr. This was continued with blocks from junior middle blocker Millo Skhiri and aggressive serves, giving them a 18-14 lead. 

After another Aragon timeout at 21-15, the Bears found trouble on the serve receive line, making several errors that evened the score at 23-23. Nonetheless, the Bears stayed quick on defense, and in a tense back-and-forth play, Chriss won a joust at the net and the Bears finally closed the set 28-26.

“We were a little laid back when the other team had a lot of energy,” Skhiri said. 

The Dons gained momentum in the third set. Even though the Bears took a 5-2 lead with well-placed shots and serves, Aragon was able to respond with powerful swings to get ahead 8-7. Multiple kills from Kerr were met with well-placed tips from the Dons, and the teams continued to match each other’s points.A kill to the line by senior outside hitter Aiden Gabriel gave the Bears some rhythm, but service errors proved costly as Aragon secured the set 25-20.

The Bears stumbled early in the fourth set, getting called for multiple doubles as Aragon pulled ahead 7-2. A cross-court kill by Warner helped stop Aragon’s momentum, and the team tightened up their serve receive to close the gap to 13-12. Strong defense kept the Bears, and a hard swing around the block by Kerr gave M-A a 20-19 lead. In one of the match’s longest rallies, a joust at the net by Skhiri pushed the Bears to match point, and Skhiri sealed the win with a final kill to take the set 25-20.

“At the start we struggled because our energy was low, but by the end we were better than how we started,” said Licea.

*Ben Warner is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.

Langley’s Pavle Mladenovic will be swimming for Canada at the Pan American Games in Medellin, Colombia, from May 17-26.

Mladenovic, a Grade 11 student from Walnut Grove, who plays for the Langley-based Fraser Valley Water Polo club, has again earned a spot on the U17 Men’s Water Polo National Team of Canada, to compete against some of the finest young athletes in the Americas.

“I feel deeply honoured to have been selected to represent Canada,” Mladenovic told the Langley Advance Times.

“This event is an important step for our team as we work towards qualifying for the World Championship next year.”

With the understanding and support of his teachers, he’s been able to undertake an accelerated learning program to complete his  Grade 11 curriculum before he leaves.

“The journey to this point has been one of hard work and learning,” Mladenovic said.

“It has taken many hours of training, competition, and personal growth—physically, mentally, and tactically. I am grateful for the guidance of my coaches and, above all, for the unwavering support of my family. My parents have always been there for me, offering encouragement, making sacrifices, and supporting me in every possible way to help me pursue my dreams.”

A 2024 Langley Advance Times profile described how he began water polo when he was just three years old, in order to learn how to swim.

Hi father, Aleksandar, figured the sport would give his son a purpose to keep learning.

“He started out of a Langley pool,” Aleksandar explained. “There was a local community club. And he didn’t even know how to swim.”

As it turned out Pavle was very good at the sport.

By the time he was eight, he was swimming against bigger 15-year-old boys.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College women’s track & field team turned in several solid performances on the first day of the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held at Macalester Stadium Friday afternoon. The Scots scored 19 points and sit in sixth place heading into the final day on Saturday.

On the track, first year Ariella Rogahn-Press (Albuquerque, N.M./Bosque School) qualified for Saturday’s finals in both the 400 meters and the 200 meters. She won her heat and posted the fourth-fastest time in the prelims of 57.00 in the 400, then ran a time of 24.57 in the 200 to rank second heading into the finals. The Scots’ 4×800-meter relay team of junior Hadley Wilkins (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School), sophomore Ivy Coldren (Frederick, Md./Urbana), sophomore Timna Nevo (Portland, Ore./Sunset) and first year Kate Fox (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) placed fourth with a time of 9:35.70, which ranks eighth all-time at Macalester.

In the field events, sophomore Harmony-Keli Tomety (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook East) placed second with a personal-best leap of 5.48 meters (17-11.75). The performance ranks third all-time at Mac and 74th in Division III. Sophomore Tessa Myatt (Chicago, Ill./Northside College Prep) posted an outdoor PR with a toss of 12.78 (41-11.25) to take third in the shot put. Both Tomety and Myatt earned All-MIAC honors in their events.

The MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships conclude on Saturday, May 10 at Macalester Stadium. The field events get underway at 12:00 p.m., with the track events starting at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets for the Saturday session is $12 for adults and $3 for students per session. All ticket sales will be handled online by HomeTown Ticketing.

MIAC Outdoor Championships Website | Live Video | Live Results | Tickets | Meet Schedule |