The University of Minnesota Duluth track and field teams finished up a record-breaking couple of days at the 115th annual Drake Relays at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bulldog squads competed on both Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25 at the Drake Stadium. 

 

The first success story of the meet came from the women’s 4x800m relay team, who broke the school record in the event. They ran a 9:04.37 and placed second in the college division. The team consisted of Madeline Verkerke, Sierra Ingle, Ellie Hanowski, and Rachel Ulrich. 

 

Later in the evening, UMD graduate student Shaelyn Hostager went on to break a 13 year old school record that was also previously set at the Drake Relays. Shae ran a time of 34:56.62 in the women’s 10,000m. 

 

The final record to fall at the Relays came from the Bulldog men’s 4x400m team. The squad of Billy Auvin, Brock Unger, Alex Croston, and Brady Johnson finished in ninth place in the college division with a time of 3:14.55.

Tomorrow you can catch the UMD track and field teams at home for the Bulldog Open. The first event of the day will start at 12:00 p.m. and will be the men’s javelin throw. You can also follow along with the results here.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford captured its first-ever conference title on Friday, edging No. 5 USC 3-2 in the MPSF Championship match to win the league’s inaugural tournament at Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The clinching point came from Stanford’s No. 3 pair, freshman Charlotta Bell and junior Kelly Belardi, who rallied for a come-from-behind win over USC’s Mabyn Thomas and Maya Gessner, 18-21, 21-13, 15-9. Their victory sealed the Cardinal’s historic first conference crown.

With the win, Stanford earned an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Championship, set for May 2–4 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Now 31-8 on the season, the Cardinal is just one win shy of tying the program’s single-season victory record.

Stanford’s title run was fueled by four straight wins, including three against top-five teams. Throughout the 2025 season, the Cardinal has defeated 18 ranked opponents, 11 of them in the top 10.

The championship dual, played in two waves, opened with a dominant performance on court two. Freshman Avery Jackson and sophomore Brooke Rockwell delivered a 21-13, 21-16 victory, highlighted by Jackson’s six aces across two sets.

USC quickly responded on court four, where the Women of Troy handed Stanford’s Chloe Hoffman and Logan Tusher their first loss as a pair since March 14, winning 21-17, 21-14.

Stanford reclaimed the lead with a straight-set win on court one. Senior Taylor Wilson and sophomore Ruby Sorra earned their 18th win together by defeating USC’s Madison White and Zoey Hensen, 21-18, 21-15.

USC evened the match again on court five, where Daria Gusarova and Emmy Sharp fell 21-15, 21-17.

That set the stage for Bell and Belardi on court three—a role they’ve grown accustomed to. Just a day earlier, the duo had clinched the dual over USC with another three-set victory. Once again, they rose to the occasion, rebounding from a first-set loss to secure the MPSF title.

Stanford now turns its attention to the NCAA tournament, with the selection show airing Sunday at 10 a.m. PT on NCAA.com.

INDIANOLA — A long list of new personal-best marks for the Central College men’s track and field at the Kip Janvrin Open Friday was fronted by senior distance runner Derek Webster (senior, Norwalk).and junior hurdler Grant Miller (junior, Norwalk).

The Kip Janvrin Open features fields of competitors from across all collegiate levels.

In his first attempt at the outdoor 5,000 meters for the first time since May of 2023, Webster dropped 40 seconds off his career best. He took eighth in a time of 15 minutes, 55.37 seconds.

Miller dropped .08 seconds from his season and career-best time in the 110-meter hurdles to improve his chase for a spot at the national meet. He placed fourth Friday in 14.37 seconds.

Additionally, Lance Bunde (freshman, Guthrie Center, ACGC HS) was third in the high jump (6-3.25), Sam Stoecker (sophomore, Grimes, Des Moines Christian HS) was eighth in the javelin throw (134-7) and Cor Huyser (freshman, Pella) was 10th in the 400-meter hurdles (57.53 seconds).

On the women’s side, Ramey Dahlquist (freshman, Janesville, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) was third in the high jump (5 feet, 1 inch) and Amber Vroman (senior, Seneca, Ill.) was fourth in the pole vault (11-0.75).

Teah Miller (sophomore, Iowa Falls, Iowa Falls-Alden HS) was eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:48.95), Leah Howard (junior, Auburn, N.Y.) was eighth in the pole vault (10-0.75), Jasmyn Williams (Denver, Colo., Arvada West HS) was ninth in the long jump (16-10) to give Central five top-10 individual finishers in women’s events.

Central will wrap up a busy weekend with a handful of entries Saturday at the Drake Relays in Des Moines. The final competition of the regular season is next Friday in Waverly in a triangular against Wartburg College and Simpson College.

 

Top-20 finishes – women

100 meters – 14. Karlee Warnke, 12.82

400 meters – 12. Riley Packer, 1:01.31; 17. Danika Arnold, 1:02.15

3000-meter steeplechase – 8. Teah Miller, 11:48.95

High jump – 3. Ramey Dahlquist, 5-1; 11. Abigail White, 4-9; 11. Nona Van Berkum, 4-9; 19. Cadence Sinclair, 4-7

Long jump – 9. Jasmyn Williams, 16-10

Pole vault – 4. Amber Vroman, 11-0.75; 8. Leah Howard, 10-0.75; 11. Kylie Meyer, 10-0.75

 

Top-20 finishes – men

5000 meters  – 8. Derek Webster, 14:55.37

110-meter hurdles – 4. Grant Miller, 14.37; 15. Gage Huyser, 15.28; 19. Zeke Nelson, 15.56

400-meter hurdles – 10 Cor Huyser, 57.53; 11. Brayden Harris, 57.67; 17. Lawsen Fuller, 58.64

Javelin throw – 8. Sam Stoecker, 134-7; 15. JT LaFleur, 126-3

Hammer throw – 11. Kael Patterson, 140-6; 16. JT LaFleur, 130-5

High jump – 3. Lance Bunde, 6-3.25; 10. Ross Kusel, 5-11.25

Long jump – 11. Owen Tomko, 20-10

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I.– Bucknell women’s water polo (15-12) stunned No. 20 Brown (16-14), 7-6, in the opening round of the CWPA Championships on Friday night. The fifth-seeded Bison faced the fourth-seeded Bears in Brown’s home waters but prevailed when Olivia Hopper scored the winning goal with 23 seconds left and goalkeeper Tamara Toskos blocked two shots with ten seconds remaining. 

Bucknell improved to 6-0 in one-goal games this season. It was the Bison’s first ranked win since 2020. 

The game was a defensive affair with neither team yielding easy shots. Olivia Hopper, recently named Second Team All-CWPA, broke Brown’s defensive ranks with a game-high five goals. 

Bucknell jumped to a 2-0 lead when Bella Schraa and Gwen Kallmeyer each tallied a goal. Those would be the final non-Olivia Hopper goals scored by the Bison. Brown rallied and tied the game at 2-2 as the first quarter closed. 

Brown seized its first lead in the second quarter before Hopper tied the game at 3-3. The Bears scored again for the 4-3 halftime advantage. 

The Bison regained the lead after halftime when Hopper scored two goals for the 5-4 lead. Brown again responded, tying the game at 5-5 entering the final stanza. 

Hopper struck again for the 6-5 lead. The Bison defense held for nearly five minutes before Brown converted a penalty shot with 31 seconds remaining. Hopper remained undaunted and delivered a long range goal. The Bears attempted to tie and got two great looks but Toskos swatted away both attempts. The jubilant Bison celebrated on the sidelines and in the water. 

Bucknell will face first-seeded Princeton tomorrow at 1 p.m. 

 

SALT LAKE CITY —University of Utah beach volleyball head coach Brenda Whicker announced today her retirement from coaching after spending the past eight seasons at the helm of the Utes.
 
A member of the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame, Whicker was just the second coach in Utah beach volleyball history, taking over the program in 2018 after the team’s inaugural season. Whicker and the Utes concluded the 2025 season earlier today in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.

“The University of Utah is like a second home to me,” Whicker said. “My time at Utah began as a player and I have been so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to come back here and coach. It’s been so fun to be a part of this program from the beginning and to see the growth of beach volleyball in college athletics. I have been very blessed to coach some amazing young women and I will forever cherish the relationships and experiences we’ve had together. I have learned and grown a lot because of them. Even though I won’t be on the court with them anymore, I will continue to cheer them on and support the program. Thanks to everyone who has been a part of the journey. Go Utes!”

 

Whicker completed her eighth season leading the Utes on Friday, wrapping up a year in which her team surpassed the program record for wins in a season, with 21, and earned a top 25 ranking for the first time. The previous record for most wins was set by Whicker and the Utes in 2024, when Utah finished with 19 victories. Utah upset Arizona on Thursday to advance to today’s tournament’s semifinal round.

 

“Brenda Whicker has done a fantastic job leading our beach volleyball program,” said Director of Athletics Mark Harlan. “A Utah Athletics Hall of Famer, she finishes her coaching career having led the most successful seasons in the program’s history in her final two seasons, and I’m appreciative of the guidance, leadership and mentoring she has provided to the young women in her program. They have represented Utah Athletics in an exemplary fashion in competition, the classroom and our community. We wish Brenda and her family all the best in her retirement.”

Since taking over the reins of the program from JJ Van Niel, who coached the program’s inaugural season in 2017, Whicker has steadily built the program and raised expectations.

 

Whicker earned her first win as head coach with a 4-1 victory over CSU Bakersfield in 2018. Later in her first year at the helm of the program, Utah earned its first win over a Pac-12 Conference squad by defeating Oregon 4-1 in the first round of the Pac-12 Championships.

In 2019, Whicker and the Utes hosted the program’s first home event at the Lassonde Beach Courts, welcoming Colorado Mesa and Boise State. Utah has since made the Utah Beach Classic an annual event. Heading into the following year, Utah faced its tough slate of Pac-12 opponents and national powerhouses before the 2020 season was prematurely ended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  

The 2022 season entered a new era for the Utah beach program as Whicker had a primarily beach-recruited roster for the first time. She welcomed 10 newcomers with eight of the athletes being beach-recruited freshmen. The schedule was highlighted by the program’s first regular season win over a Pac-12 opponent. The Utes took down Oregon 3-2 at the Pac-12 South Event and would later receive votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the first time in program history.

Whicker’s Utes rebounded in 2024 from a tough 2023 season, and finished with a 19-16 record. Utah put together its longest win streak in program history, with six wins in a row, including four straight during its home weekend. Throughout the season, Utah secured six wins by way of a 5-0 court sweep. In just its third season with a fully beach-recruited roster, the Utes set a season-high wins mark, nearly hitting the 20-win benchmark with an overall record of 19-16.

Whicker (formerly Brenda Barton) was an indoor volleyball player at Utah under current head coach Beth Launiere from 1994-97. She left Utah with the most kills, digs and aces in program history. Whicker was a three-time all-conference selection, and as a sophomore was an All-District honoree. She was a four-year starter for the Utes and was the first player in school history to be named an AVCA District VII All-American in 1995. Whicker was also the first Ute in program history to be named the AVCA National Player of the Week when she did so on Sept. 15, 1997.

She was just one of just six players that had recorded at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career while playing for Utah. She currently ranks fourth all-time with 1,565 career kills and sixth overall with 1,313 career digs. Whicker, the program’s all-time leader with 161 career service aces, was inducted into Utah’s Crimson Club Hall of Fame in 2010.

 

In addition to having played in the Salt Lake City AVP tournament back in 2013, Whicker also played a beach circuit from 2009-10 where she and her playing partner won in-state tournaments to qualify for a national event that was played in both San Francisco and Chicago. She won the Steamboat Tournament in Colorado back in 2013 and finished in third-place at the Motherlode Tournament on two separate occasions.

 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Heading into the GCC Conference Championships, Sierrah Ferguson and Anna Tyukasz earned a spot on the GCC All-Freshmen team. Using the momentum from the honors, the freshman duo went on to lead the Golden Eagles into the quarterfinal match against the No. 8 Fresno State Bulldogs. 

The Bulldogs established an early lead that the Golden Eagles struggled to close. Despite offensive efforts by Anna Tyukasz and Emeline Smiley, Fresno State pulled ahead with a 13-3 advantage going into the half. 

Jumping back into the water, multiple Golden Eagles stepped up to give Concordia a fighting chance. Australia-native Lucy Aggs matched Tyukasz with two goals of her own, hitting a season-high. Sierrah Ferguson and Sofia Dominguez both contributed a goal to get things moving in the Golden Eagles’ favor. 

Goalie Jaden Soto sprung into action between the bars. She tallied 11 saves in the match, capitalizing on many of the shot attempts from their ranked opponent. By the end of the match, Fresno State had solidified its standing in the Conference tournament and defeated Concordia 21-7. 

The Green and the Gold competes in its final match on Saturday, April 26 for the seventh spot in the conference tournament. The early morning match against Santa Clara kicks off at 10 am. 

CLICK HERE for the GCC Tournament Central.