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Miles Partain, Andy Benesh win men’s title – Orange County Register

Tayrn Brasher, left, embraces volleyball partner, Kristen Nuss, after they win the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Megan Kraft dives for the ball during finals of the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Megan […]

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Tayrn Brasher, left, embraces volleyball partner, Kristen Nuss, after they win the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — Initially formed out of desperation, the team of Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft continues to show they have more in common than just a love for beach volleyball.

The former national champions during different time periods at USC displayed their growing chemistry over the weekend at the Huntington Beach Open, reaching the championship match of the women’s bracket on Sunday before losing in three sets to top-seeded Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher.

“Our goal this weekend was to have a lot of fun and be physical and aggressive, and I feel we kept that consistent all tournament through,” said Kraft, who was seeded third with Cannon. “We felt like that is how we wanted to play, and, although the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, we were happy with finding our identity.”

Cannon is a New York native who became a two-time NCAA beach volleyball champion while at USC from 2016-19, and Kraft came from Torrey Pines High before winning four straight national titles with the Trojans from 2021-24.

They teamed up on the AVP Tour in September of 2023 after Kraft’s partner decided to transition to indoor volleyball, and Cannon’s partner retired. Qualifying for the 2024 Olympics was already well underway, leaving them no opportunity to make up ground.

So, they got busy learning about each other and discovered they not only went to USC, but were both accounting majors and had a twin sibling.

They also played the same position on the sand, left-side blocker, not ideal for beach volleyball teammates, but Kraft made a flawless switch to right-side defender.

“One of the best in the world at it,” Cannon said. “Pretty impressive.”

Cannon and Kraft knocked off the second-seeded Canadian pair of Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes in three sets in a semifinal on Sunday.

Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes won silver at the 2024 Olympics, where the U.S. went without a medal for the first time in the history of the event.

Cannon and Kraft then pushed Nuss and Brasher to three sets in the final. Nuss and Brasher are former LSU teammates who represented the U.S. at the 2024 Olympics.

The results from the weekend have Cannon and Kraft excited about a potential run at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“It’s been so fun getting to play with Meg,” Cannon said. “Yeah, maybe our other partnerships didn’t work out under the best circumstances, but it all worked out for a reason because I’ve never had more fun playing with anyone. So, I’m just really excited to keep growing and see how good we can get.”

The top-seeded men’s team of Miles Partain and Andy Benesh beat fellow 2024 Olympians Chase Budinger and Miles Evans in the championship match, 21-14, 21-14.

Partain and Benesh did not drop a set in their four matches at the tournament and hardly trailed.

“We’ve been training more consistently than any year, so that definitely has something to do with it,” said Partain, whose family home burned down in the Palisades fire in January.

Evans said Partain and Benesh didn’t show any hesitation on offense, a sign of confidence.

“They definitely don’t give you a lot of mistakes,” Evans said. “They don’t give you free points, and they seem pretty level-headed throughout the whole match. When we practice against them, it almost looks like they’re bored. They look like they’re just super, super even-keeled all the time, and I think that helps them a lot.”

Benesh, a Palos Verdes native, used his 6-foot-8 frame to produce six blocks in the first set of the championship match, several on the 6-7 Budinger, who played seven seasons in the NBA.

Even more impressive, Benesh has four service aces.

“Andy’s serve was really good,” Partain said. “That got us several points per set.”

After winning the 16-team, single-elimination event in Huntington Beach, Partain and Benesh next head to Florida in two weeks for the 24-team Palm Beach Open.

“We know every time we come out here, we’ve got to play our A-game,” Benesh said. “We’re just trying to compete as hard as we can when we step on the court.”

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Brown’s National Championship in the 110 Meter Hurdles Sparks #6 Men’s Track & Field to a Third-Place Finish at NCAA Outdoor Championships

Story Links GENEVA, OHIO — Jamir Brown became #6 Rowan’s second national champion in a row in the 110 meter hurdles as the Profs claimed a second-consecutive third place finish on the final day of the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at the SPIRE Institute in […]

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GENEVA, OHIO — Jamir Brown became #6 Rowan’s second national champion in a row in the 110 meter hurdles as the Profs claimed a second-consecutive third place finish on the final day of the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Brown ran a 13.75 in the finals where teammates Jason Agyemang was a close second (13.82) and Anaias Hughes was seventh (14.71) as the trio claimed First-Team All-American Honors. Brown joins Kwaku Nkrumah in giving Rowan its second consecutive national champion in this event. The hurdles crew netted 20 team points, the most by any team in a single event at the meet to help give the Profs a total of 44.5 points in the three-day meet.

FINAL RESULTS

Rowan also claimed First-Team All American honors in the 4×100 relay and the 200 meters on the day.

Shamar Love, Robert McKinney, Elijah Hendricks, and Evan Corcoran ran a 39.72 to break the school record in the 4×100 finals for a national runner-up finish. The foursome previously set the mark in the preliminary round on Thursday (39.97).

In the 200 meters, Rajahn Dixon placed eighth in a season-best time of 21.13 while Hendricks scored his second All-American honor, placing ninth (21.42).

Wisconsin-LaCrosse totaled 84 points to win the team title with Wisconsin-Eau Claire in second place (56 points).

The Profs return to Glassboro with 11 All American accolades including Brown, Agyemang, and Hughes in the 110 meter hurdles, Dixon and McKinney in the 200 meters, the 4×100 relay (Love, McKinney, Hendricks, Corcoran), the 4×400 relay (Jarquil Young, Nana Agyemang, Lowrentzky Ambroise, and Luke Halbruner), the Javelin (Damitrius Hester), and the High Jump trio (Jamile Gantt, Arrington Rhym, and Noah Wampole).

 



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#20 Women’s Track & Field Caps NCAA Outdoor Championships with All-American Honor for Jones

Story Links GENEVA, OHIO — Nyla Jones placed fifth in the 400 meter hurdles to earn All-America capping the Rowan Women’s Track & Field Team appearance at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships on Saturday. The three-day meet was held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. FINAL RESULTS The […]

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GENEVA, OHIO — Nyla Jones placed fifth in the 400 meter hurdles to earn All-America capping the Rowan Women’s Track & Field Team appearance at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships on Saturday. The three-day meet was held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

FINAL RESULTS

The freshman ran in the finals 1:01.46 to claim First Team All-American honors, improving on her time of 1:02.36 in the preliminaries.

As a team, the Profs totaled seven points to finish in a tie for 38th place. MIT (56 points) edged Washington University (47 points) for the team title.

In all, Rowan returns home with four All-Americans including Jones, Molly Lodge (400 meter hurdles/Second Team), and two honors for Izzy Deal (Shot/First Team and Javelin/Second Team).

 

 



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The Class of 2025 Is Unveiled

Every year a number of local high school athletes continue their athletic careers in addition to being students. As has been customary in the past, we salute those who either live in or attend school in Burbank and will be continuing to work on developing their skills in sports while enhancing their educational objectives. Here […]

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Every year a number of local high school athletes continue their athletic careers in addition to being students. As has been customary in the past, we salute those who either live in or attend school in Burbank and will be continuing to work on developing their skills in sports while enhancing their educational objectives.

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Here are those that will represent our local community from the class of 2025,

Burbank

The Bulldogs are led by pole vaulter Ogden Lucsik, who was one of the best in the nation as a junior, and got a late start to his senior year due to a broken foot. Lucsik will be the only competing at Cornell University, but he is amongst four Burbank boys who are attending the Ivy League school in New York. Ironically, he will be attending the same university and competing in the same event as Burroughs 2021 grad Eli Gault-Crabb, who jumped 16-feet-6 inches in setting the Bears’ school record.

Lucsik, who holds the Bulldog school record at 16-0, will be essentially taking Gault-Crabb’s spot on the Cornell roster.

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Softball pitcher Madison Kellogg will continue her career at California Baptist University in Riverside.

Football player Daniel Zacariaz will continue his career at Glendale Community College. Zacariaz is multi-talented having been both a quarterback and wide receiver for the Bulldogs.
Nose tackle Paul Sukunyan will continue his football career at Pasadena City College.

Tennis player Amruth Kodumuri will compete for Claremont Mudd-Scripps as he will be part prestigious of the Harvey Mudd engineering school.

Baseball player Robert Snyder will attempt to walk on at either UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara.

Burroughs

From the track team Quiana Laughlin will continue her career at UC Davis.

Burroughs Quiana Laughlin, seen playing soccer, will head to UC Davis and compete in track and field. (Photo by Austin Gebhardt)

From the baseball team, Kyle Smith will continue his career at Whittier College.

Representing the Pacific League champion softball team, Chloe Centeno, will continue her career at Fort Hays St. University.

Tennis player Hannah Lewis will continue her career playing in Hawaii at Chaminade University.

Water polo player Harrison Siegel will continue his career at Pomona Pitzer.

The Burroughs football team will be well represented in college.
Mingus Allen will play at Macalester College in Minnesota.

Maximillian Batres, Colin Jimenez and Daniel Ortiz will continue playing at Pasadena City College. Patrick Lima will continue at College of the Canyons.

Providence

The Pioneers have a strong class. Distance runner Aubrey Eaton will continue her career at the University of Portland. She was the 2024 CIF Southern Section Division 4 champion in the 1,600 meters in track.

Softball player Delailah Lopez will continue her career in the Ivy League at Cornell.

Fellow softball player Gloria Galindo will play at Carleton College in Minnesota and teammate Mia Allinson will play at Glendale Community College.

Golfer Samantha Schwimmer will continue her career at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Beach volleyball player Shannon Ferrell will play at McKendree University in Illinois.

Brendan Jazmines will compete in cheer at Loyola Marymount University.

Village Christian

The Crusaders will send three Burbank residents into major college athletics.

Girls’ volleyball player Nikki Tawil will attend the University of Maryland. Teammate Angelina Dellutri, daughter of former Burroughs and USC football player Todd Dellutri, will attend UC Irvine.

Soccer player Anthony Boyadjian will continue his career at Loyola Marymount University.

Notre Dame

Hayden Bowne, grandson of former Burbank Mayor Bob Bowne, will attend San Jose State University and compete in football and track and field.

Homeschooled

Isabella ‘Maneh’ Nersesyan, who started her high school career at Burbank High, will continue her soccer career at Cal State Long Beach. She left BHS and went on her own due to her busy travel schedule, as she is a member of the Armenian National Team.



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Tara Townsend vaults to first All-American honor to lead Chargers on final day of 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships

Story Links For the second time in a row at a national meet, junior Tara Townsend set a new personal best in the pole vault. This time, her PR earned her the All-American honor she’s been working towards for the past three seasons. Townsend was clean through her first three bars, clearing […]

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For the second time in a row at a national meet, junior Tara Townsend set a new personal best in the pole vault.

This time, her PR earned her the All-American honor she’s been working towards for the past three seasons.

Townsend was clean through her first three bars, clearing on the first attempt at 3.77, 3.92 and 4.07 meters to ensure herself of All-American honors after coming agonizingly close and falling short at the 2025 Indoor Championships in March. Her All-American spot ensured, Townsend also cleared 4.17 meters on her third attempt to set a new high mark for her career, finishing in eighth place to bring home a trophy for Hillsdale. The new personal best means Townsend is just the second vaulter in Hillsdale College history to clear that height, behind only Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Famer Kayla Caldwell.

Townsend wasn’t the only standout for Hillsdale at the national level in the pole vault this year, as senior Kaylee Jackson also had an impressive day. Jackson was seeded 21st out of 22 jumpers entering the competition but made a massive leap up the standings with smooth first attempt clears at 3.77 and 3.92 meters, helping her finish alone in ninth place on the day in her first ever national meet appearance. Jackson had an excellent attempt at 4.07 meters for what would have been a new personal best, but just barely missed.

On the track, Evyn Humphrey also finished an impressive freshman season at Hillsdale with a 10th place finish in the 1,500m run finals. Humphrey surged late, passing two runners on the final lap, but couldn’t reel in enough of her competitors to get into eighth place and earn All-American honors. Humphrey was one of just two freshmen in the final, and her 4:38.49 time and 10th place show she’ll be in the running to get that first All-American honor again in the future.

Hillsdale junior Averi Parker also contested the shot put for the Chargers on Saturday, just two days after finishing 14th in the nation in the hammer throw. Parker had a solid second throw of 13.97 meters, but came up short of the final in the event, finishing in 18th place.

The future is bright for the Chargers, as Hillsdale loses Jackson but returns both of its All-Americans from the 2025 outdoor campaign, with Townsend and freshman Ally Kuzma, who took third in the 10,000m run on Thursday, both slated to be back. They’ll provide a strong foundation for a squad with a lot of promising young talent that could have a big year in 2026.



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Training Partners Burns and Young Pushed Each Other to NCAA West Bids

Story Links RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Track & field is a fairly individual sport which often pits teammates against each other. When a team is tight, like The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) men’s and women’s squads, that doesn’t create animosity – it fosters an uber-competitive, yet endlessly supportive, environment which […]

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Track & field is a fairly individual sport which often pits teammates against each other. When a team is tight, like The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) men’s and women’s squads, that doesn’t create animosity – it fosters an uber-competitive, yet endlessly supportive, environment which makes every individual better. 
 
Perhaps the best example of that is the duo of Corin Burns and Richard YoungBurns, a junior called “CB” by his team, and Young, a freshman better known as Ricky, are both short sprinters at UTRGV. They are extremely talented individuals, but most importantly, they are selfless and uplifting training partners. 
 
After a season of battling in the 100- and 200-meter dash, the rookie and the vet are both heading to the 2025 NCAA West First Round. Once again, they’ll be competing against each other in the men’s 200-meter dash running Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. in College Station. They’re going in with the same qualifying time of 20.79 – a shared program and personal best. 
 
“I’m excited it worked out with them coming in with the exact same time. I know no matter what they’re going to shake hands and get back to work at the end of the day. Their future is very bright together,” head coach Shareese Hicks said. “They cheer for each other and they want to beat each other. It’s the perfect combination, that push and pull that you need to have an ideal training partner. CB has definitely taken Lil’ Rick under his wing in a big way because he understands the better this kid is, the better I’m going to be. And Ricky has been extremely coachable.” 
 
The friendly competition between the duo started during the indoor season and can be perfectly summed up by the events of Feb. 14 at Texas Tech’s Jarvis Scott Invite. Two weeks prior, Burns set two indoor program records at only his second meet competing for UTRGV. One of those records was in the 60-meter dash as he ran 6.71. 
 
“All year I was running 6.7, and then at the second Tech meet, I saw Rick get in his heat and run 6.6. I was like, ‘Oh this guy just took the school record from me.’ He had a great race so I had to give it to him,” Burns recalled. 
 
Young ran 6.69 in the second of three heats of the 60 semifinals. In the third heat, Burns ran 6.68, regaining his top spot in the record books. 
 
“It lowkey hurt my feelings a little bit,” Young reminisced as they shared a laugh. 
 
Burns has gotten the better of Young for the most part this first year training together, but that wasn’t unexpected or unwelcomed. In fact, getting beat by Burns has been motivating for the youngster. 
 
“He pushes me a lot,” Young said. “Coming from high school, I’ve always kind of been the faster guy, so training with someone who’s older and faster than me is like, dang, now I got to really put pedal to the metal. And even when I do that, I still get beat by him, so training with him keeps me focused on being able to run at the best of my abilities.” 
 
Burns appreciates having Young right on his heels. Hicks had the two rooming together during meets all year, and they’ll be roommates again for the week of NCAA West. Burns welcomes the opportunity to share his knowledge with his young teammate, who prevents him from resting on his laurels. 
 
“Rick always asks questions, or at practice he’ll say, ‘I saw you do this. How does it help with getting faster?’ He keeps me on my toes, and that’s one thing I like about training with him,” Burns said. “Iron sharpens iron is what I say. We go head-to-head in everything we do and that’s how we get better. I can’t get too complacent because he’s right there always pushing me.” 
 
Young has won some reps here and there, and Burns jokes it’s only when the elder athlete is working on something specific and therefore not really trying to go fast. But the junior did credit the freshman for his “dog mentality,” which is something Young says Burns has helped him develop this year. 
 
“At the beginning of the season I wasn’t running the best because I was so in my head. Being able to talk to CB about everything really boosted my confidence a whole lot. He’s been a lot of help for me,” Young said. 
 
The connection between the speedsters is anchored by the similarity in their values and personalities, Hicks said. They’re both respectful, humble young men who like to work hard. Their differences are in their strengths on the track. Where Burns is seasoned with his mechanics and able to correct mistakes during a race because of his body awareness, Young is raw and learning to harness his natural speed and strength. Young is good with his starts and has outstanding speed endurance, while Hicks believes Burns’ best quality is his acceleration. 
 
They’re heading to NCAA West after having opposite experiences at the Southland Conference (SLC) Outdoor Championships one week ago. Young ran well but finished one spot out of advancing to finals in both the 100 and 200. Burns took silver in the 100, bronze in the 200, and added a second bronze medal with the 4×400-meter relay. 
 
Hicks said their conference performances show the difference in where they are in their respective careers. Burns, as a veteran, knows how to handle championship environments and was able to attack the meet with experience and execution. Young is continuing to learn how to focus on his race and not be affected by those running beside him. 
 
The freshman is leaning on lessons and advice from Burns to be better prepared for the big stage of NCAA West. This is Burns’ second trip to the regional meet after advancing as a freshman himself in 2023. 
 
“He’s told me that it’s a lot more competitive than any other meet we’ve been to, so I have to be ready. He can give me pointers on what to do and give me tips going into the race,” Young said. “Us being in the same event, I’m definitely ready to race him and beat him in a meet. I’m excited for us to race against each other full throttle.” 
 
Burns is heading to College Station with a clear goal: finish in the top 12 and advance to NCAA Championships. He’s excited to take on the big stage with his training partner and six other teammates and knows the Vaqueros will give their best in every event. 
 
“A lot of work went into this, a lot of treacherous practices this year. I’m glad to have been able to work with so many hard-working people and we’ve really pushed each other,” Burns said. “Every dog has its day, so you have to go out there and compete and try to show everyone what you’re capable of.” 

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Kenadee Wayt ends Mount Union career with one more Al-American finish

GENEVA — Kenadee Wayt extended her Mount Union record for All-American finishes in the final race of her Purple Raiders career. Wayt teamed up with Madison Miles, Mary Mason and Carlie Besecker for a third-place finish in the 1,600 relay on Saturday, May 24 at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Mount […]

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GENEVA — Kenadee Wayt extended her Mount Union record for All-American finishes in the final race of her Purple Raiders career.

Wayt teamed up with Madison Miles, Mary Mason and Carlie Besecker for a third-place finish in the 1,600 relay on Saturday, May 24 at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Mount Union’s time of 3:42.85 was just 85 one-hundredths of a second off a school record.

Wayt finishes her career with 23 All-American finishes.



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