The still-undefeated Conard boys volleyball team hosted Ridgefield on Wednesday in West Hartford.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Kayleigh Martin and Bridget Dawson

After their 3-0 sweep against 16-seed Ridgefield on Wednesday night, the top-seeded Conard boys volleyball team will continue on to the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class L tournament to face their crosstown West Hartford rival, Hall High School, the No. 9 seed.

Conard will host Hall – which defeated Glastonbury 3-2 in the first round – on Friday, June 6, at 5:30 p.m. The Hall boys volleyball team’s record is 12-8, and Conard’s is 21-0. Kelly Roller and her team continue to celebrate her recent 300th career victory milestone with another big win.

The first set was an incredibly close, nerve-racking  set, resulting in a win for Conard. With alternating scores from 21, the set continued all the way up to Conard’s win by two, at 27-25. Tyler Richards and Lucas Hartland were strong at the net, blocking countless Ridgefield hits.

Conard started the second set off strong, leading 6 to 1, 11 to 5, 17 to 7, and eventually 19 to 10. Conard ultimately won the set at an incredible 25-12. Conard dominated the second set and this highlighted some of their best players. In the second set, Conard’s Libero, Jonah White, showed off some incredible defense and leadership in the back row.

The third set started off close, with Conard and Ridgefield tied 4-4, and Ridgefield gained a 7-to-5 advantage early on, however, Conard was able to tie it multiple times at  10-10, 12-12 and 14-14. Conard took a 20-17 lead, and was able to secure a 25-23 victory over Ridgefield, with the help of Keith Carreras whose crucial serves helped secure a victory for the Red Wolves.

Despite the successful sweep, the boys believe they didn’t play their best game. Being undefeated, there is a high standard to reach, and even winning a state tournament game doesn’t suffice. Conard boys volleyball manager Kate Riker said, “The boys can do better, They played well today, but are going to lock for their face-off against Hall”

Captain Tristian McClay agreed. “Although we won, I think we can do much better,” he said, noting that the team holds each other accountable in the best of ways, cheering each other on for the good, and pushing each other to do better.

One of Conard’s other managers, Jayme Kline, explained that, “They have really good team chemistry when they’re down,” and that’s what makes a good team.

The Conard boys volleyball team is ready to take on Hall – a team they swept on May 22 – and hopes to secure a victory in Friday’s matchup. The community is invited to come cheer on the Red Wolves as they take on the Titans!

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The Melbourne, Australia native earned honorable mention designation and is the first Aztec to be named an All-American since the 2022 season. SAN DIEGO – San Diego State water polo’s Mimi Stoupas has a new honor to hang on her wall. The sophomore was named an honorable mention All-American by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) for her play during the 2025 season. Stoupas, who competed in each of the team’s 30 games, led the Aztecs with 73 goals, a .603 shot percentage, 69 exclusions drawn and 29 steals. She was second on the squad with 121 shots…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference announced the 2024-25 track and field/cross country Community Service Team on Thursday. The conference names a community service team for each of its 22 league-sponsored sports, highlight athletes from each school who give back to his or her community through superior service efforts.

Brighton Mooney and Logan Patete of both the cross country and track and field programs were named to the Community Service teams as the two representatives for Texas.

Mooney is one of the most active community service members of the program and helped with Longhorn Halloween on campus where athletes interact with the community during trick-or-treat. She also spent time with STEMX Girl Day with UT Austin Nutritional science/Davis Lab and Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation.

Patete has worked with the Rise to Vote group on campus to help with voter registration and civic engagement presentation. Both Mooney and Patete engaged with local Austin children at the Special Olympic Field Day on campus and also helped read to a local elementary school. Patete is also preparing to go to the Dominican Republic over the summer with Courts for Kids to help build up communities with other Texas athletes.

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NEW ORLEANS – In the week prior to the final meet of the 2025 season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Baylor track & field’s Alexis Brown and Nathaniel Ezekiel remain on the Bowerman Watch List, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.
 
This marks Ezekiel’s sixth update in a row that the senior Nigerian has been represented while this is Brown’s second update to be named. Overall, 27 athletes and 19 programs were represented on this year’s women’s watch lists, the most athletes in award history. On the men’s side, 25 athletes and 20 programs were represented on this year’s watch lists.
 

The Bowerman is bestowed to collegiate track & field’s top male and female athlete for the year. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only.
 
Brown punched two tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, set to take place in Eugene, Ore. at the historic Hayward Field from June 11-14, in women’s long jump and the 4×100 relay. Brown is the current national and second-best world outdoor leader in the long jump with a historic 7.03 meters, 23’0.75″, mark. The Kennedale, Texas, native is just the third collegiate woman to jump past seven meters and is the second-best American collegiate ever in the event. Brown is looking to sweep the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles, as she won the Indoor Championships earlier in the year.
 
In the 4×100, Brown takes part as the third leg in the relay team. Altogether, the squad ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with a season-best time of 42.73.
 
Ezekiel also punched two tickets to Eugene in the 400 meter hurdles and the 4×400 relay. In the 400mH, Ezekiel posted two different NCAA all-time historic performances at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Lawrence, Kan. He started his week by breaking his own Championship meet during the preliminary round (47.90) before he won the gold medal with a time of 47.89 seconds. Both times are now the seventh and eighth fastest times in NCAA history. At the NCAA West Preliminaries, Ezekiel finished second in his heat to punch his ticket.
 
In the 4×400 relay, Ezekiel holds strong as one could say the best anchor leg in the nation. At the West Prelims, Baylor sought to finish top three in their heat to automatically qualify to Eugene. When Ezekiel received the baton, BU was in sixth. Ezekiel went on to run an insane 43.70-second split, passing three teams to help the Bears run a season-best time of 3:05.33 and grab the third automatic qualifying time from the second heat.
 
Semifinalists for the Bowerman award are slated to be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-G-MAC Teams

2025 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field All-G-MAC Teams

At the end of another successful outdoor track and field season, both the Hillsdale College men’s and women’s teams brought home major honors as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced its All-G-MAC teams on Thursday.

On the men’s side, junior Ben Haas was named the G-MAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Haas also was the Indoor Field Athlete of the Year for the G-MAC and cemented his honor by becoming Hillsdale’s first double NCAA DII national champion on the men’s side by capturing the national title in the hammer throw with a winning mark of 66.31 meters on May 22nd in Pueblo, Colorado. The hammer throw title adds to Haas’ 2025 indoor weight throw national title, which the junior captured in March with a program and G-MAC record-setting mark of 22.89 meters on the biggest stage.

Haas was a double champion at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships in early May, winning titles in both the hammer throw and the shot put. He holds the Hillsdale school records in the weight throw, hammer throw, and indoor and outdoor shot put.

On the women’s side, two athletes won major G-MAC awards. Freshman Allison Kuzma was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year for Outdoor Track, after a sensational finish at the NCAA DII national championships in Pueblo, Colorado on May 22 that saw her place third in the nation in the 10,000m run with a time of 35:02.50. A breakout star from Zeeland, Michigan, Kuzma dominated the 10K race at the G-MAC Championships in early May, winning the race by nearly 90 seconds over second place to add a second G-MAC title to her indoor 5,000m crown. Kuzma also finished second at the G-MAC Cross Country championships in the fall.

Along with Kuzma, senior Nicole Marshall was Hillsdale’s third-ever recipient of the Elite 26 award, honoring the athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the G-MAC Outdoor Championship meet. Marshall graduated with a perfect 4.0 from Hillsdale and a degree in Biochemistry in the spring, serving as her class’ Valedictorian at the commencement ceremony. A multi-time placer in the G-MAC both indoors and outdoors, Marshall is heading to medical school in the fall to become a doctor.

Both Haas and Kuzma were among the eight Charger men and women to earn All-G-MAC honors for their performances this spring. On the men’s side, senior Richie Johnston earned first team All-G-MAC honors after repeating as the conference champion in the 3,000m steeplechase, while junior Connor McCormick earned second team honors for his runner-up finish in the pole vault.

On the women’s side, juniors Tara Townsend in the pole vault, Anna Roberts in the 3,000m steeplechase, and Averi Parker in the discus all received first team honors along with Kuzma after capturing G-MAC titles in their respective events. Senior Marilyn Popplewell also earned second team All-G-MAC honors for her runner-up finish in the javelin at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships.