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NAIA Extends Men’s Volleyball National Championship Contract

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NAIA Extends Men's Volleyball National Championship Contract

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has extended its agreement with Cedar Rapids Tourism and Mount Mercy University (Iowa), naming them hosts of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship through 2026.

“Cedar Rapids Tourism is excited to extend our agreement with the NAIA, in partnership with Mount Mercy University, to host the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championships through 2026,” said Jay Fanta, director of sports tourism at Cedar Rapids Tourism. “This is a great event that will continue to have a positive impact on our community, with teams traveling to Cedar Rapids from across the country.”

The men’s volleyball national championship gathers 12 teams to compete in a five-day tournament. Through 2026, the championship will be held at Alliant Energy Powerhouse, a live entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“We are excited to continue this partnership with Cedar Rapids Tourism to keep the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship in eastern Iowa,” said Paul Gavin, director of athletics at Mount Mercy University. “It has been wonderful to showcase our university and the city of Cedar Rapids while promoting men’s volleyball in our local community.”

Cedar Rapids Tourism and Mount Mercy University will host the upcoming men’s volleyball national championship, set to take place at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse from April 29 to May 3, 2025.

ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA)  
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 83,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $1.3 billion in financial aid from NAIA institutions, and compete in 29 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA 

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Colonels Claim Four ASUN Performer of the Week Honors

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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s and women’s track and field teams took four of the first six ASUN Performer of the Week honors in the 2025-26 indoor track and field season as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
 
On the track, Taha Er Raouy and Edna Chelulei earned the men’s and women’s weekly honors, with Daroyce Flemons and Kristan Simmons taking the honors in the field after all four broke school records in their respective events to open the indoor season.
 
Er Raouy took the men’s track honors after breaking the school record in the invite section of the 3,000 meters with a time of 7:40.56, finishing 6th in a mixed field of top collegiate athletes and professionals at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener last Saturday.
 
At the same meet, Chelulei set the EKU indoor record in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 15:42.14.
 
Back in the Commonwealth, Flemons and Simmons set new program records in the men’s and women’s weight throw at the KTCCCA Commonwealth College Opener in Louisville to earn Field Performer of the Week honors.
 
Flemons’ record-breaking throw went 17.81m (58.05.25) in his Colonel debut to take first in the men’s event, while Simmons threw 17.28m (56-08.50) to take first on the women’s side.
 
The Colonels will next compete in the new year at the Bellarmine Open on January 16.
 



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Katelynn Oxley to Join Women’s Basketball Roster for Remainder of 2025-26 Season

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CHICAGO – DePaul women’s basketball head coach Jill M. Pizzotti announced Wednesday the addition of volleyball student-athlete Katelynn Oxley to the roster for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. Oxley concluded her four-year volleyball career with the Blue Demons in November and is available to compete with basketball immediately.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to bring a 6-4 player like Katelynn to our roster. It’s a rare occasion when you can add someone with size, who you know well, who you’re genuinely excited about, and who has competed at a high level,” said Pizzotti. “Katelynn is a great fit for our program, and we’re thrilled for her to continue her Blue Demon career with our team.”

In four seasons as a volleyball letterwinner, Oxley appeared in 106 matches for the Blue Demons and totaled 483 kills and 318 blocks. In her senior campaign, the Lincoln, Neb. native ranked sixth in the BIG EAST with 1.12 blocks per set while her .318 hitting percentage ranked eighth.

In her prep career, Oxley played two seasons of varsity basketball at Lincoln Lutheran and led her squad in points, blocks and rebounds her junior and senior campaigns. Her teams went 45-7 in two seasons and finished top three in C1 State championship in back-to-back seasons. Oxley won multiple all-city, all-conference and all-state accolades in her time on the hardwood.

Oxley earned her undergraduate degree in Finance in June of 2025 and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Business Analytics. She has been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team on three occasions and compiled a 4.0 GPA throughout her time in Chicago.

Up Next

The Blue Demons return home to host UMass Lowell Thursday, Dec. 11. Tipoff from Wintrust Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. 

 

Follow the Blue Demons

For all the latest information on DePaul Women’s Basketball, please visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.

 

Ticket Information 

Season tickets for the 2025-26 DePaul women’s basketball season are on sale now, starting at just $115. Season ticket holders receive access to every game at Wintrust Arena and exclusive benefits! Secure your seats today at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets. Group ticket options are also available now for parties of 10 or more, making it easy to bring your team, company or friends to a game. Explore all group ticket options at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Groups.

 

Flex plans, mobile passes and single-game tickets are also on sale. To stay up-to-date, sign up for DePaul Athletics email updates or text alerts. 

 



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Nabwe Wins Seventh Career Big Ten Weekly Honor

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MINNEAPOLIS — For the first time this indoor season the University of Minnesota women’s track and field team has earned weekly honors from the Big Ten Conference. Anthonett Nabwe earned the Field Athlete of the Week honor, the conference office announced on Wednesday. 

Nabwe returned to the college indoor scene at the M City Classic where she tossed a season-opening 23.74m (77-10 3/4) in the weight throw to sit at No. 1 in the NCAA. The toss for Nabwe was over four feet further than her 2024 opening weight throw of 22.45m (73-8) at the same meet. Nabwe’s winning throw of 16.40m (53-9 3/4) in the shot put was also an improvement from last year’s opening indoor competition by nearly two feet (15.95m | 52-4). Nabwe’s shot put mark from the M City Classic is ranked No. 3 in the nation and the No. 1 in the Big Ten after last weekend’s action. 

The weekly honor for Nabwe is the seventh the redshirt junior has earned between the indoor and the outdoor season. Last indoor season Nabwe became the first Big Ten weight thrower in nine years to repeat as champion at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and was just the fifth Big Ten women’s weight thrower all-time to defend their conference title. According to the USTFCCCA, Nabwe ranks No. 8 all-time with her lifetime best weight throw mark of 24.22m (79-5 1/2) – which she set at last year’s Big Ten Indoor Championships.

For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.



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Kimm, LaPlant and Thompson Earn AVCA All-America Honors

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the fourth time in the last five seasons, St. Cloud State Volleyball had at least three student-athletes named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-America teams as announced by the organizations on Wednesday. Junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa), sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) and redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) were each named to the second team.
 
This is the sixth straight season that the Huskies have had at least two players named to the AVCA All-America teams and the fourth time in program history that SCSU has had three or more All-America selections in a season which have all come in the last four seasons (four in 2021, three in 2022, three in 2024).
 
Thompson becomes the fifth player in program history to become a multi-time All-American after Lindsey Rachel ’22 (3x; 2019, 21, 22), Phebie Rossi ’22 (2x; 2021, 22), former teammate Kenzie Foley ’24 (4x; 2021, 22, 23, 24) and current teammate Emma Berran (2x; 2023, 24). Last season Thompson was also named to the second team. Kimm and LaPlant are the 12th and 13th players in program history to earn All-America honors.
 
The redshirt senior middle blocker was named a first team All-Central Region performer by the AVCA and Division-II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) after being named a second teamer by the AVCA in 2024. Thompson was also named to the All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team, to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team all for the second consecutive season and was also the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year this season. The Lakeville, Minnesota native averaged 3.89 points, 3.37 kills and 0.96 blocks per set this season on .331 hitting this season.

 
Kimm earned her first all-region and all-conference honors this season after being named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region Second team and the All-NSIC First Team. The North Liberty, Iowa native was also named to the to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team (second consecutive season). The junior outside hitter averaged 3.88 points, 3.47 digs, 3.40 kills and 0.46 blocks per set this season.

 
LaPlant also earned the first all-region and all-conference honors of her career this season after being named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region Second team and the All-NSIC First Team. The sophomore setter was also named to the to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team. She also became just the fifth player in program history to be named AVCA DII Player of the Week and was the lone Husky to earn weekly NSIC honors this season after being named Setter of the Week twice (her first career weekly awards). The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native averaged 11.69 assists, 2.21 digs, 1.23 points, 0.62 kills and 0.49 blocks per set this season.

 
This season, the Huskies won their second consecutive and fourth overall NSIC Tournament Championship (all in the last five seasons) after taking down the No. 13, No. 2 and No. 5 teams in the country and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Championship/Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season, tying the program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season, with two (4x; 1995, 2022, 2024, 2025). En route to the region championship, the Huskies beat the No. 17 team in the nation before taking down the No. 2 team and tournament host, Nebraska Kearney, on their home court.
 
AVCA All-America
Second Team:
Shelby Kimm
Braya LaPlant
Ella Thompson
    
AVCA RELEASE
 
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  





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Blinn makes Bentley history with All-American nod

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WALTHAM, Mass. – The 2025 Bentley volleyball team continues to make history. Elizabeth Blinn is the first player in program history to be named to an All-America team, as she landed on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Third Team, the AVCA announced Wednesday morning.

Sophia Poehlein, Tory Vitko, and Lulu Pavan each received All-American Honorable Mention from the AVCA.

Prior to 2025, only two players in Bentley history earned AVCA All-American honors. Christiana Sadowski is a three-time All-American Honorable Mention (2005, 2006, 2007), and Alyssa Carter was an All-American Honorable Mention in 2003.

Heading into Thursday’s NCAA Quarterfinal match, Blinn leads the country in blocks per set (1.67). She is the Northeast 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, and she was named the Most Outstanding Player during the NE10 Tournament.

Poehlein is Bentley’s leading outside hitter, averaging 3.74 kills per set. Three times this year she reached at least 20 kills, each in just four sets. She had a career-high 23 kills in Bentley’s 2025 home-opener against Post.

Vitko  is the 2025 NE10 Setter of the Year. She enters the NCAA Quarterfinals averaging 9.37 assists per set, and she has 10 double-doubles this season. Two of those double-doubles were during the NE10 Tournament.

Pavan’s 2.87 kills per set rank second on the team, and she has reached double-digit kills 12 times this season. Pavan’s collegiate career began with 10+ kills in each of her first four matches.

Bentley won the NCAA East Regional title for the third consecutive year. The Falcons are the only program in the country to reach the NCAA DII Championship Quarterfinals in each of the past three seasons.

The Falcons enter the NCAA DII Quarterfinals as the #6 seed, which is the highest seed ever for a team from the East Region. Thursday’s game time against #3 Point Loma is at 12 p.m. (EST).  

 



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Nwachukwu, Walker Tabbed B1G Athletes to Watch – Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa sprinters Chioma Nwachukwu and Kalen Walker were tabbed as the program’s Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Athletes to Watch, the conference announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Nwachukwu, a sophomore from Asaba, Nigeria, enters her second collegiate season as Iowa’s leader in the 400 meters. She posted the team’s top time at the Big Ten Championships a season ago, earning third place in 52.07.

Nwachukwu is a strong presence for Iowa’s relays and ran on the program’s top three 4×400 relays last year. She ran the second leg of the school-record breaking relay (3:30.42) at the New Mexico College Classic last season. Additionally, Nwachukwu earned second-team All-Big Ten honors at the conference meet after helping the relay place second in 3:31.04. She is also a part of Iowa’s third-fastest 4×400 relay time that ran a 3:31.62 at the 2025 Tyson Invite.

Highlighting her indoor season, Nwachukwu was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team and was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

Walker redshirted the 2025 indoor season and returns to round out his career in 2026. The senior from Eddyville, Iowa, was a first-team All-American and national runner-up in the 60 meters during his last full indoor season in 2024. He was also the Big Ten’s runner up in the event that year. Walker’s decorated career also includes a second-team All-America honor in the 60 meters during his first season as a Hawkeye in 2022. He finished 13th overall at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Walker holds Iowa’s school record in the 60 meters, racing 6.51 at the 2024 Jarvis Scott Open in Lubbock, Texas. Walker was twice named the Big Ten Men’s Track Athlete of the Week during the 2024 campaign after performances at the Jarvis Scott Open and Jimmy Grant Invitational.

Iowa track and field opens its 2025-26 season with the Jimmy Grant Invite on Dec. 12-13.



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