Well, we had to deal with some good news and bad news at TCU this weekend.

First, the good.

The great exodus from California continues.

Apparently, life is so untenable out there that beach volleyball — Cali’s state sport, I guess — can’t even stand it.

Say what, you ask? TCU’s women’s beach volleyball program became the first program other than Southern Cal or UCLA to win the national championship on Sunday. The No. 2-seed Horned Frogs (32-5) topped No. 4 Loyola Marymount 3-2 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I believe Gulf Shores is considered part of the Redneck Riviera.

Daniela Alvarez, the American Volleyball Coaches Association player of the year, and Tania Moreno came from behind to win the final match.

Alvarez and Moreno, who took a year off to play for Spain in the Paris Olympics, returned to TCU to finish undefeated in four years as a duo. Alvarez and Moreno dropped the first game 18-21 to LMU’s Michelle Shaffer and Anna Pelloia before rallying to win the final two 21-15 and 15-6.

TCU’s winningest pair, this season, Sofia Izuzquiza and Allanis Navas, won at No. 3, 21-16, 21-13 to remain perfect for the championship at 4-0. The freshman and senior duo end their first year at TCU 26-2.  

Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara won at No. 4, 21-14, 21-19, to finish the season undefeated at 21-0. The duo has tallied 41 wins together all-time.

TCU finished the season winning 12 consecutive matches.

Somewhere, the desert-worn Californian Karch Kiraly, a Santa Barbarian, or something, sits, doing little other than cursing Sam Houston’s Texas miracle.

“Son-of-a-beach!”

There were a bunch of people around here on Sunday saying as much because some bad news that trickled into the socials.

The acclaimed, beer-stained University Pub, with a history of almost 45 years, is shutting its doors this month.

Its lease has been terminated, according to an Instagram post.

“Sometimes you eat the bear; and sometimes the bear terminates your lease extension so they can turn a legacy business into your neighbor’s dining room. We’ll be around, having as much fun as ever, until 2am May 18th.”

I have never actually had bear, I don’t think, but I bet Jon Bonnell could cook it.

Bonnell’s Buffalo Bros. is expanding into the space to enlarge its dining room. Unsurprisingly, the move has drawn ire from loyal patrons — past and present — of The Pub, who are threatening to protest what they see as a grave injustice. Imagine Norm without Cheers.

Bonnell got on Instagram to reply to The Pub’s announcement: “Bbros is not the reason for The Pub closing.” He also called them great neighbors.

Since 1981, TCU students have forgotten more at The Pub than they ever learned in Elective 101 or even I’ve-Got-To-Have-This-Class-For-My-Degree 4300.

Reaction on Instagram to the news ranged from something along the lines of “Shame!” to “My ex stole my shithouse shirt and now I’m extra doubly pissed with her.”

A petition on Change.org, which takes on the most pressing cultural issues of our day, is making the rounds.

For the love of God, leaders and signers beseech, not The Pub! There can be no progress for humanity without The Pub!

Our man Mark Mourer, “his ownself,” an occasional contributor to our archives, has paid his share of light bills at The Pub over the years. In fact, we once asked him to whip up an ode to drinking in Fort Worth. He poured out his soul for us, The Pub front of his mind as inspiration for the words that came pouring forth.

He, too, walks the earth today shattered, half the man he was on Saturday.

“The University Pub in Fort Worth, TX is more than a bar,” says petition leader J.P. Johnson. “Nestled right next to the TCU campus, it has been an institution and a cherished part of the community for 44 incredible years. For generations of TCU fans, students, and alumni, the Pub has been a place of celebration, camaraderie, and lasting memories. It’s where we gathered to cheer on TCU’s greatest moments, share our joys and challenges, and create bonds that last a lifetime.

“Now, the very essence of this beloved establishment is under threat as the University Pub faces permanent closure. We are reaching out to all Fort Worth residents, TCU students and alumni, and supporters to help save this iconic venue.”

When I last looked about midday, 1,500 had gotten out their Bics to loan their John Hancock.

Congratulations, TCU’s beach volleyball national champions. We’ll toast you.

Somewhere.

American University’s track and field team wrapped up its regular season at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Relays on April 25 and 26. The Eagles’ outdoor track season has been strong, with athletes regularly setting new personal bests and breaking school records. 

American’s track and field head coach Sean Graham was impressed with the campaign’s trajectory and talked about his squad’s success. 

“Compared to what we’ve done in the past, including what the conference is doing, we’ve exceeded some of our expectations in that the number of school records that have gone down this year has far exceeded my expectations after a short while,” Graham said.

During the Virginia Challenge on April 18 at the University of Virginia, freshman Tamara Dorval broke American’s 100-meter record to start the meet, placing 27th with a personal record of 12.00 seconds. Additionally, junior Kaden Kluth and sophomore Ciera Thacker ran their personal bests for the Eagles, each moving up to second all-time for American in the 1500-meter and 100-meter races, respectively. 

The track and field team had broken records at the Dalton Ebanks Invitational at George Mason University on April 5, with the women’s 4×100 squad of freshman Zoe Clark, Dorval, Thacker, and sophomore Lorelei Bangit breaking the Eagles’ program record by six seconds, placing second in 47.05 seconds. 

American’s track and field team also sent its first all-female squad to the Penn Relays, with the team narrowly missing the school records it had set previously. 

At the University of Pennsylvania, Dorval, Bangit, and Clark also returned with freshman Lara Gin to beat the previous school record by 14 seconds in the 4×400 relay, finishing at 3:49.86.

As for recent notable performances on both the men’s and women’s teams, Graham mentioned junior Carver Morgan’s performance at the Patriot League Indoor Championships on the campus of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he finished with a gold medal in the 800-meter and a personal record of 1 minute, 49.37 seconds. 

“And you know [Morgan] has done phenomenally so far this year and then on, come on the men’s side, we’ve got two sort of middle distance aces,” Graham said. “Now Kate includes in the 1500 and Carver Morgan, in the 800, who are pushing the needle on in the national levels of competition,” he said of junior Kate Riley and Morgan.

This year’s Patriot League Championships, hosted at the Naval Academy in a month, also saw  Bangit earn silver in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.84 seconds, smashing her school record that she had set in the preliminary round the previous day. Breaking her 400 record thrice on the weekend, she also broke the school 200-meter dash record and finished in 24.96 seconds. 

The men’s distance medley relay squad for American, consisting of senior Danny O’Neill, freshman Brandon Williams, Morgan and Kluth, finished the race in 9 minutes, 45.81 seconds, earning silver and a fifth all-time mark for the Eagles.

After racing in the Patriot League Championships, Kluth and Morgan ran at the IC4A and ECAC Division I Indoor Championships hosted by Boston University on March 9. In the open mile, Kluth won in 4 minutes, 3.54 seconds, with Morgan coming in fifth at 4 minutes, 7.59 seconds.

This past weekend, American competed at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships, hosted by the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. On the tournament’s first day, Bangit broke school records in the preliminary rounds of both the 200-meter and 400-meter events, finishing at 54.20 seconds and 24.39 seconds, respectively. Additionally, Dorval broke her school record in the 100-meter prelims, finishing with a time of 11.86 seconds. 

On the second day of the PL Championships, Kluth and Morgan won gold. Breaking American’s 17-year drought in the men’s 1500 event, Kluth won in 3:49.60, becoming AU’s first champion in the event since 2008. Morgan finished the 800-meter run with a personal best and meet record time of 1:47.91. Winning both the indoor and outdoor 800 men’s titles, Morgan now ranks 32nd in the NCAA East Region. Additionally, Bangit broke AU’s program best in the 400 meters with a finishing time of 54.00 seconds.

“So we’ve got a handful of athletes who have already qualified for the IC4A Championships with the ECAC Championships, two weeks after the Patriot Leagues at George Mason,” Graham said. “We currently have two athletes who are likely to have qualified for the NCAA first round, which is two weeks from now in Florida. And if that goes well, two weeks after that are the NCAA final rounds out in Eugene, [Oregon].” 

Athletes who have qualified will go on to compete at the IC4A and ECAC Championships at George Mason University on the weekend of May 16.

This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Olivia Citarella, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Nicole Kariuki and Hannah Langenfeld. 

sports@theeagleonline.com 

The Patrick Henry High School boys’ volleyball team recently capped off an unforgettable regular season by going undefeated in league play and earning the 2025 City League Championship title.

The Patriots will play a first-round Division II CIF game vs. Pacific Ridge at home on Tuesday, May 6, 7 p.m.

Under the leadership of new head coach David Chau, who also heads the Patrick Henry girls’ volleyball program and leads the volleyball program at Lewis and Pershing Middle Schools, the team experienced a complete turnaround.

Led by senior captains Austin Odle and Caleb Weinert, the Patriots found their rhythm early and never looked back.

Odle, a senior outside hitter, led the team with 282 kills, averaging 3.5 kills per set, and also topped the defense with 169 digs and 2.1 digs per set. His all-around contributions included 332 serve receptions and 0.5 aces per set, making him one of the most reliable and versatile players on the court.

Caleb Weinert also had a standout season as an outside hitter and middle blocker. He recorded 262 kills, averaging 3.1 kills per set, and led the team in hitting percentage at .224. On defense, he added 132 digs, 1.6 digs per set, and led the team in serve receptions with 344 and 26 blocks this season.

Reflecting on the team’s season, Weinert said, “Every single guy on this team worked hard all season long. We put in the time, trusted each other, and it paid off. I’m really proud of what we accomplished together.”

Supporting the offense at the net was junior middle blocker Finnley Corbin, who contributed 105 kills at 1.9 kills per set and posted a strong .214 hitting percentage, providing consistent offensive support.

At the core of the Patriots’ success was junior setter Sylas Doan, who ran the offense with precision and control. He tallied an impressive 926 total assists, led the team with 54 aces, and added 15 total blocks, demonstrating his skill on both sides of the court.

On the defensive side, Jack Boyd, a junior outside hitter and libero, made a major impact with 155 digs and 301 serve receptions. His consistent presence in the back row was key to maintaining momentum and transitioning into offense.

Additional key starters played a crucial role in the team’s championship run. Daniel Behne, a senior opposite, brought energy and offensive strength from the right side, along with 17 aces. Connor Carr, a junior who rotated at both middle and opposite, was a solid force at the net, tallying 19 total blocks. On defense, Peter Tu, a freshman defensive specialist, anchored the back row with dependable passing and serve receive.

This season marked a true turning point for the Patrick Henry boys’ volleyball program.

With strong senior leadership, emerging young talent, and expert coaching from Chau and his assistant coaches, the team not only went undefeated in league but also built a foundation for long-term success.

The 2025 season will be remembered as the year the Patriots rose to the top—and stayed there.

Editor’s note: This article and photo are courtesy of the Patrick Henry High boys’ volleyball team.

Thought of the Day…There have been few greater minds in history than that of Leonardo da Vinci. Since we are often writing about young, developing minds, here’s what Leonardo had to say about them: “Learning never exhausts the mind.”

Higher Education Yahoo (HEY) Awards…The first weekend in May marked the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Track & Field Championships, and the event was a tour-de-force for Eastern University senior women’s distance runner Hailey Shreffler (Panther Valley), who earns today’s first HEY award.

Shreffler was crowned a MAC Champion in two events, with a record-breaking win in the 1,500 meters, a win in the 800 meters and a third place medal as a member of 4×400 relay team.

In the 1.500, she ran a 4:32.63, breaking the long-standing existing conference record by close to two seconds and also setting a new championship meet record. After also winning the 800, Shreffler finished her senior season as a three-time MAC champion, second-team All-MAC in the mile and third-team All-MAC in two relays across the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Prior to the conference championships, Shreffler had been named MAC Runner of the Week (for the second time) after an outstanding performance at the Hopkins Loyola Invitational. There, Shreffler won the 800 meters in a season-best time of 2:12.34, in a field of runners from all three NCAA divisions.

Lebanon Valley College (LVC) recently awarded one of its highest honors involving learning and community to senior women’s tennis team captain Sarah Kramer (Hamburg). At LVC’s spring awards event, Kramer was the recipient of the LVC Athletic Service Award and thus earns a HEY award.

Kramer, a four-year member of the tennis team, was inducted into Phil Alpha Epsilon, the honor society recognizing academic achievement and service, with more than 550 hours of service. Kramer is a first-year mentor helping to lead orientation services on the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, is a member of a team benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and has completed more than 350 volunteer hours with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

On top of that, Kramer is a pretty darn good tennis player, with a lifetime record of 27-19 in singles and 44-15 in doubles.

Two local softball players who have been named as second-team selections to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)-East All-Conference team.

The first is Kutztown senior right-handed pitcher Haley Gravish (Hamburg), who has been the workhorse of the 39-16 Golden Bears. Gravish has a 26-7 record and a 2.50 ERA, both of which lead her team. She also leads KU in appearances (39), starts (25), complete games (22), innings pitched (196.0) and strikeouts (164). She has one save, two shutouts on her own and was part of a third.

In the PSAC, Gravish ranks second in wins, is tied for second in starts, innings pitched and complete games, and her ERA places her eighth in the conference.

The second All-Conference selection is Bloomsburg senior center fielder Mia Nemeth (Marian). In a breakout season, Nemeth is second on the Huskies in batting average (.381), leads in hits (61) and ranks second in runs scored (34), doubles (11), triples (3) and RBIs (44). She is tied for third in home runs (4), has a .416 OBP and a .563 slugging percentage, all career-highs.

St. Joseph’s freshman softball right-handed pitcher Marla Freiwald (Blue Mountain) was recently named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. Freiwald, who has a 7-3 record (she ranks second in wins), has made 30 appearances and four starts. She has a team-leading five saves to go with her team-leading 2.94 ERA. In 71.1 innings pitched, Freiwald has struck out 33 while allowing only 11 walks.

Diamond Doings…In the last column, we talked about hot starts, notably that of Mansfield senior first baseman/DH Jacob Houtz (Schuylkill Haven).

Houtz has not cooled off. He bats cleanup for the Mounties and has started every game, leads his team and the PSAC in batting average at .445. He also tops his team and the conference in on-base percentage (OBP) at.566 and slugging percentage (.874). He leads the Mounties in RBI’s (44), and that puts him second in the conference.

Other statistical ares in which Houtz leads his team are runs scored (42), hits (53), doubles (15), home runs (12), total bases (104) and even being hit by a pitch (14). He ranks second in walks (19), third in at-bats (119) and has stolen six-of-seven bases.

Another former Haven Hurricane having an outstanding season is Widener sophomore left-handed pitcher Trae Sanders. Sanders is 4-3 and coming into the playoffs, his 2.96 ERA led the Pioneers’ regular starters, as did his 59.2 innings pitched. He has made 11 starts, one of his most recent a 7.0 inning gem in which he shut out Hood College, allowing only six hits and striking out five. Sanders’ 41 K’s ranks second on his team. In the MAC – Commonwealth Conference, Sanders ranks second in innings pitched and third in ERA.

Widener was the fourth seed in the MAC-Commonwealth Championships, but was defeated by top-seeded Messiah, where Pine Grove graduate Owen Hannevig is a freshman pitcher. He has made 11 relief appearances with a 2.92 ERA and one save.

Turning back to Hood College baseball (see Sanders above), senior starting center fielder Keegan Brennan (Nativity) has a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage. Brennan has handled 97 total chances, with 94 putouts and five assists, third in the MAC-Commonwealth.

Brennan is batting .235, but his 18 bases-on-balls ranks second, his 24 runs scored ranks third and he has a .371 OBP, 11 RBI’s, two doubles and a home run. He’s also tied for the team lead in stolen bases with 8 out of 10.

The top-seeded Lebanon Valley softball team has captured the MAC Freedom Conference with a 29-13 record. Freshman pitcher Maycee White (North Schuylkill) is 4-1 with a 4.26 ERA. She’s made 11 appearances with six starts, two complete games and two shutouts in 38.0 innings of work.

Eastern (29-9) made it to the finals of the MAC-Commonwealth tournament before being defeated by Messiah, and Tamaqua grad and junior pitcher Bryn Clifford is an integral part of the team. Clifford leads the team with three saves, and has a 2-0 record and a 1.97 ERA (2nd on the team) in 32.0 innings pitched (16 appearances, five starts). She’s struck out 16 and walked only five.

Originally Published: May 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM EDT