CHARLOTTE – UAB Track & Field completed its regular season portion of the schedule at the American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Charlotte. Three athletes recorded their PRs while the 4×100 and 4×400 teams picked up their season-bests.

Birthe Franck-Petersen competed in her last collegiate meet this weekend. The senior narrowly missed her PR and school record in the Shot Put with a mark of 13.84m.

Mya McDanal recorded her PR in the Javelin Throw where she got her PR in her final college meet with a mark of 43.98m. She also placed 5th out of 17 throwers.

Christiana Mudd competed in the Heptathlon where she had her second 5000 point showing of the season. The senior totaled 5250 points which is her PR. Mudd finishes with the fourth most points in an outdoor heptathlon in school history.

Sangie Lincoln-Velez posted another strong showing in the 1500m. She finished in 4:32.07 which was good for 3rd place out of 23 runners.

Regina Harris competed in her final 800m race of her career. She posted her PR in the Prelims with a time of 2:11.66.

Hope Foster and Olivia Beard competed in the High Jump. The duo each finished at a mark 1.65m each.

The Blazers 4x100m team consisting of Destiny Roper, Gabby Washington, Kat Duren, and Leticia Quingostas posted their season-best time of 46.11 seconds.

UAB’s 4x400m also posted their season-best time. Quingostas, Washington, Regina Harris, and Jasmine Dereje finished in 3:42.98.

Several Blazers will await their postseason fate for the NCAA East Preliminary Meet in Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information on UAB Track & Field, follow @UAB_TF_XC on Instagram and X.

Your Support Fuels Success!

With your help, Blazer Student-Athletes are given the resources, tools, and opportunities they need to achieve greatness. Every contribution you make directly supports our teams, ensuring they excel not only on the field but in the classroom as well. We invite you to renew your support to UAB Athletics today and for more information on ways to show your generosity through the Blazer Scholarship Fund, capital initiatives, and sport specific giving go to blazerboosters.com or call us at (205) 996-9969.

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State head coach Julie Darty Dennis announced the addition of four signees last week. Those four include Laura Williams, McKenna Dressel, Avery Power and Bre Perrin.
 
“We are excited to add Laura, McKenna, Avery and Bre to our roster,” Dennis said. “All four bring unique abilities and experience and we can’t wait to get them in StarkVegas.”
 
Williams, a 5-9 outside from Lakewood, California, joins the Maroon and White after spending the past two seasons at CSU Fullerton. She collected 279 kills through two seasons, averaging 2.01 kills per set last season. She began her collegiate career at Oregon State, where she appeared in 11 matches.
 
Dressel, a 6-2 middle blocker from Gilbert, Arizona, makes the move to Starkville after one season at Nevada. She played in all 29 matches, making starts in 23 of those. She collected 112 kills and 83 blocks for the Wolfpack last season. She ranked second on the team in total blocks. Prior to last season at Nevada, Dressel spent two seasons at the junior college level, collecting 1.19 kills per set and 0.98 blocks per set at Scottsdale Community College.
 
Power, a 5-6 defensive specialist, chose to stay in-state. The Brandon, Mississippi, native has collected numerous accolades during her four seasons at Brandon High School. She led the Bulldogs to four state championship appearances, including two championship victories. She finished her career with over 2,000 digs, a school-record, and set a single-game program record with 45 digs in a single match. Her senior season, she was named the 7A All-Region MVP.
 
Perrin, a 5-7 setter from Pell City, Alabama, made her marks on the club level. She played for Alabama Performance, which is known for producing college talent, including current assistant coach Lacey Jeffcoat. Perrin brought in numerous honors during her time, including being named to multiple AVCA watchlists.
 

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching ‘HailStateVB’ on X, Facebook and Instagram. 
 

Long Beach State Athletics welcomed Matt Schneider as the new Assistant Athletic Director for Development in 2025. In that role, Schneider will focus on driving annual giving efforts while working closely as a fundraising partner across all 19 programs at Long Beach State. He will also lead key campaigns such as Giving Day in December and Beach Spring Day of Giving, playing an integral role in building a strong philanthropic foundation for Long Beach State Athletics.
 
Schneider comes to the Beach from Wartburg College, where he has spent the last two years working as the Director of Annual Giving for the full University, helping increase both donors and dollars by nearly 20% in the last year while pushing for almost 2,000 first time donors. In 2023-24, Schneider worked directly with athletics, nearly tripling the total donor base while setting a new high of total dollars raised in an athletic year.

That marked a return to Wartburg for the alum, who was active at the college as a student-athlete. A member of the cross country and track & field teams, Schneider served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President during his senior year. Upon returning to Wartburg in a professional role, he also served as an assistant coach for the cross country and track & field programs in addition to his fundraising duties.

Prior to his return to Wartburg, he spent time with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, specifically with USA Judo where he was the Memberships & Events Coordinator, in addition to interning with the Falcon Athletic Fund at Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo.

 

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Bradley Track & Field wrapped up the 2025 Outdoor regular season at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Carbondale on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18.

The Braves brought home three conference championships and 10 All-MVC honors at the Hartzog Track & Field Complex.

Kaitlyn Sheppard won the first conference title for the Braves on Sunday, winning the women’s 1500m event at 4:16.84. Abigail Hancock (4:19.50), Trixie Wraith (4:19.74) and Eimear McCarroll (4:21.60) finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively, to score points.

Jamie Phillips added an outdoor men’s 800m conference title to go with his indoor men’s 800m gold, winning the event in 1:47.74. The time is the first 800m time under 1:48.00 in Bradley history and ranks as the 64th-fastest time in all of Division I Track & Field. Jack Crull clocked in at 1:48.63 to bring home the silver, while Jaxson Copelin finished in seventh. This is the first time a Bradley runner has won the men’s 800m outdoor conference championship.

Jayde Rosslee also completed an indoor/outdoor championship sweep, winning the men’s 5000m event with 14:14.13, over 13 seconds ahead of second place.

The Braves finished on the podium in five other events over the two-day events, beginning with Caleb Lind (30:47.23) placing third in the men’s 10000m race on Saturday morning. 

Jack Crull and Jaxson Copelin brought home the silver and bronze in the men’s 1500m event, respectively, with Crull finishing in 3:45.62 and Copelin clocking in at 3:46.40.

Amiyah Davis closed her storied Bradley career with another swift 400m performance, running a 54.36 to finish in third place. Carolina Martinez capped her successful freshman season with a fifth-place finishing 55.15 in the race.

Trixie Wraith and Eilen Brenne brought home third- and fourth-place finishes in the women’s 800m event, running a 2:09.16 and 2:09.40, respectively.

Sheppard closed the MVC Championships with a second-place performance in the women’s 5000m, clocking in at 16:44.48. Nadia Potgieter finished in fourth place at 16:50.12.

COMING UP…

The top performers throughout the season will compete in the NCAA West Preliminaries in Bryant-College Station, Texas, on May 28-31. The NCAA will confirm the competing athletes on Thursday, May 22.

BRADLEY RESULTS

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Former Nebraska volleyball All-American Merritt Beason has been selected to train with the USA Volleyball Women’s U23 National Team for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, set for July 25-Aug. 2 in Leon, Mexico. 

Beason will be one of 18 athletes taking part in a training block at the National Team Training Center in Anaheim, Calif., from July 18-25. From that pool, 12 athletes will be chosen to represent the United States in Mexico.   

Beason’s previous experience with the U.S. National Team includes a silver medal at the 2024 Pan Am Cup Final Six with the U.S. Women’s National Team, as well as a gold medal and MVP honors at the 2022 Pan Am Cup with the Women’s U1 National Team. 

Beason finished her Husker career in 2024 with All-Big Ten First Team honors for the second year in a row. She also picked up her third AVCA All-Region honor, averaging 2.78 kills per set while helping NU reach the NCAA Semifinals. Beason was an AVCA All-America First Team selection in 2023 and earned Academic All-America honors following her senior season. 

Former Husker Kayla Banwarth, who is Beason’s professional coach for the Atlanta Vibe and was recently named PVF Coach of the Year, will serve as an assistant coach. 

USA Volleyball Women’s U23 Roster 
Name, (Pos., Height, Hometown, College/Pro, Region) 
Merritt Beason (OPP, 6-3, 2003, Gardendale, Ala., Pro Volleyball Federation, Southern)  
Lauren Briseño (L, 5-7, 2003, San Antonio, Texas, Baylor Univ., Lone Star) 
Brooke Bultema (MB, 2004, Cincinnati, Ohio, Univ. of Kentucky, Ohio Valley) 
Averi Carlson (S, 5-11, 2003, Lucas, Texas, SMU, North Texas) 
Chloe Chicoine (OH, 5-10, 2004, Lafayette, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier) 
Raven Colvin (MB, 6-1, 2003, Indianapolis, Ind., Pro Volleyball Federation, Hoosier) 
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (MB, 6-2, 2004, Flower Mound, Texas, Texas A&M, North Texas) 
Cara Cresse (MB, 6-6, 2003, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier) 
Eva Hudson (OH, 6-1, 2004, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Kentucky, Hoosier) 
Devin Kahahawai (OPP, 6-4, 2004, Kailua, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha) 
Caroline Kerr (S, 5-11, 2004, Champaign, Ill., Univ. of Tennessee, Great Lakes) 
Emmy Klika (L, 5-7, 2003, Novelty, Ohio, Pro Volleyball Federation, Ohio Valley)
Ava Martin (OH, 6-1, 2004, Overland Park, Kan., Creighton Univ., Heart of America) 
Jurnee Robinson (OPP/OH, 6-1, 2004, Simpsonville, S.C., LSU, Palmetto)  
Lauren Rumel (OH, 6-2, 2003, Tucson, Ariz., Oregon State Univ., Arizona) 
Marianna Singletary (MB, 6-4, 2004, Charleston, S.C., N/A, Southern)
Norah Sis (OH, 6-2, 2003, Papillion, Neb., Pro Volleyball Federation, Great Plains)  
Ella Swindle (S, 6-2, 2004, Columbia, Mo., Univ. of Texas, Heart of America)  

Coaches
Head Coach: Marie Zidek (DePaul)  
Assistant Coach: Kayla Banwarth (PVF, Olympian) 
Assistant Coach: Danielle Scott (LOVB, Olympian) 
Performance Analyst: Matthew Andrews (Michigan) 
ATC: Cherryl Bueno (Coast to Coast AthletiCare) 
Team Lead: Taylor Marten (Ozark Juniors)