CHATTANOOGA—Spring has sprung. April showers not only brought May flowers but also the latest crop of Chattanooga Mocs graduates. McKenzie Arena hosted the 265th Commencement Exercise over the weekend with 55 new student-athlete alumni completing undergraduate and graduate degrees including 12 scheduled for summer endings.
 
“This is one of our favorite days on the calendar,” Vice Chancellor for Athletics Mark Wharton began. “It’s the culmination of a special journey as a student-athlete and a celebration not only for the individuals, but the programs and department as well.
 
“The future is well met by this group.”
 

The list included 13 different sports including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country/track & field, football, men’s & women’s golf, soccer, softball, men’s & women’s tennis, beach & indoor volleyball and wrestling. Of the 56, 11 are completing advanced degrees.
 
Basketball (Men/Women)
*Brooke Anya – MBA
Jacob Elbin (Grad. Asst.) – MBA
Honor Huff – Communication
*Garrison Keeslar – Management (Master)
Jack Kostel – Applied Science
Jade Moore – Applied Science
Makai Richards – Applied Science
*Bash Wieland – Management (Master)
 
Cross Country/Track & Field (Men/Women)
Leah Boyd – Accounting
Lesley Boyd – MBA
*Aaron Isbell – Communication
Eamonn O’Bryant – Chemical Engineering
 
Football
Grant Reid – Communication | Latin Honors Candidate
Chase Artopoeus – Psychology (Master)
Demetrius Coleman – Health & Human Performance
Chris Domercant – Applied Science
Jaden Gaines – Applied Science
*Lance Jackson – Management (Master)
Kobe Joseph – MBA
*Alen Karajic – MBA
Noah Livingston – Criminal Justice
*Kelvin Morris – Psychology
Cody Olszewski – Data Analytics (Master)
B.J. Ragland – Applied Science
Chris Victor – Psychology
 
Golf (Men/Women)
Nieves Martin – Marketing | Latin Honors Candidate
Alexis Daniel – Communication
Carson Johnson – Applied Science
 
Soccer
Caroline Ekern – Marketing | Latin Honors Candidate
Sylvie Keck – Education | Latin Honors Candidate
Kelly Tuerff – Health & Human Performance | Latin Honors Candidate
Taylor Morris – Integrated Studies
Hannah Morton – Integrated Studies
Ella Roth – Business Management
 
Softball
Alyssa Lavdis – Health & Human Performance | Latin Honors Candidate
Olivia Lipari – Biology | Latin Honors Candidate
Presley Williamson – Mechanical Engineering | Latin Honors Candidate
Camryn Cernuto – Health & Human Performance
Abby Orr – Business Management
Jayce Purdy – Communication
 
Tennis (Men/Women)
*Alice Hall – Political Science & Public Service | Latin Honors Candidate
Rozalie Dohnalova – Psychology
Kerim Hyatt – MBA
Ryan Mudre – Health & Human Performance
 
Volleyball (Indoor & Beach)
Chandler Alter – Psychology | Latin Honors Candidate
Marcelle Baez-Carlo – Social Work | Latin Honors Candidate
Kit Gresham – Art | Latin Honors Candidate
Elaine Redman – Health & Human Performance | Latin Honors Candidate
*Neva Clark – Management (Master)
Joy Courtright – Communication
 
Wrestling
Jackson Hurst – Biology | Latin Honors Candidate
Landon Lewis – Health & Human Performance | Latin Honors Candidate
Noah Castillo – Wrestling
Eli Knight – Criminal Justice
Kaleb Snodgrass – Applied Science
 
*Denotes Summer graduate candidates
 
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Kevin Gama still has two years of high school left, but there’s no question how valuable he is to Curie boys water polo.

“Kevin’s been the man all his life,” Condors coach Nate Cruz said. “He’s been the man since he was in seventh grade and it’s just carrying over.”

“I’ve been feeling more confident,” Gama said. “But also the practice I put in through the summer is really crucial. Because at the end of the day consistency is the key and I’ve been feeling consistent.”

Gama and freshman Joaquin Alvarez led the way as the Curie/Kelly/UIC Prep co-op beat Kennedy/Hancock 20-7 on May 3 at the UIC Natatorium to finish third in the Public League playoffs.

Alvarez scored six goals and Gama added five for the Condors, who led 12-2 at halftime and 16-3 after three periods. Javier Cruz led Kennedy/Hancock (14-6) with three goals.

The Condors went into rebuilding mode after winning their record 10th Public League title in 2023, and the process seems to be coming along well.

The Condors have just two seniors and one junior on a team that took a 15-12 record into this week’s IHSA playoffs. They own wins over several suburban and Catholic League teams, including Sandburg (twice), Homewood-Flossmoor and St. Ignatius.

“In the month of April, we had a lot of nights of back-to-back games,” Cruz said. “But now we’ve found ourselves. We were in a slump in the third, second week of April. But we know who we are as a team. We’re growing, we’re still young. Nothing but bright things for the future.”

One of the seniors, Antonio Sandoval-Panarin, missed some time earlier in the season. His return has been key to the Condors’ better play recently, according to Gama.

“Honestly. since he came (back) we just felt better as a team,” Gama said. “We’ve bonded together. We’ve been through ups and downs and I feel like that’s really helped us.”

The Condors seem to be closing the gap against Young and Lane, the city’s other top programs. After losing 19-1 to Lane in conference play, Curie fell 20-7 to the Champions in the Public League semifinals on May 2,

“Most definitely it’s a sign of progress,” Cruz said. “Lane had a young team last year. … They’re a very talented team, very fast team. … But having a 9-4 half against them really showed a lot of progress especially with the last game we had. …

“I see nothing but improvement with my guys and the CPL league’s just getting a lot stronger.”

Gama is also upbeat.

“We have so much potential,” he said. “We want to get better and we’re gonna do anything we can to get better.”

Related

Syracuse and Box Elder high schools each drew No. 6 seeds in their respective 6A and 5A boys volleyball state tournament brackets, which the UHSAA released Saturday morning.

GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — TCU’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno came from behind to win the final match on Sunday as the second-seeded Horned Frogs wrapped up their first NCAA women’s beach volleyball championship with a 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount.

TCU (32-5) is the first school other than USC and UCLA to win the title. The Trojans won the first two and the previous four, while the Bruins won two straight in 2018-19.

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Alvarez and Moreno, who took a year off to play in the Olympics, returned to finish unbeaten 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.

The Lions (38-7) eliminated No. 5 seed USC in the quarterfinals and top-seed UCLA in the semifinals.

TCU threes pair Sofia Izuzquizal and Allanis Navas earned a point with a 21-16, 21-13 sweep.

Fours pair Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara also swept their way to a point with 21-14 and 21-19 wins. The duo finished 21-0 this season.

The Olympians finished off the championship as the Horned Frogs won 12 straight to end the season.

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LMU twos pair Chloe Hooker and Vilhelmiina Prihti earned a point with a 21-16, 21-17 sweep. Fives pair Tanon Rosenthal and Giuliana Poletti Corrales had the other point with a pair of 21-16 wins.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Dickinson men’s track and field team collected multiple medals as well as have had numerous athletes qualify for Sunday’s finals through the first two days of the Centennial Conference Championships on the campus of Ursinus College at Patterson Field.

Friday

Distance

Luke Knestout claimed a podium place for the 10,000m hitting the line in 31:47.59 to land in third. He was joined in the Top-10 by Matthew Dietrick who grabbed seventh thanks to a 32:31.08. The trio of Edward Liszka, Romario Cruz and William Kane took up slots 15th (34:08.79), 17th (34:46.45) and 19th (35:15.40).

Field

Oliver Stroka collected the first field event medal for the Red and White by seizing second in the hammer throw with a heave of 51.44m.

Saturday

Sprints

Franklyn Akabi-During booked his place in Sunday’s final for the 100m by setting the top qualifying time of 10.59. William O’Connor ended in 17th with an 11.25, followed by Matthew Greenley (24th – 11.48).

Brendan Regan set a new personal best time of 16.51 in the 110m hurdles, but it was not quite fast enough to book him a place in the final.

A pair of Devils locked up berths in the final of the 200m as Akabi-During hit the line at 21.91 for the third-best, while Darian Crim posted a PB time of 22.13 to land in fifth of the prelims. O’Connor hit the line in 22.77 to nab 14th.

Three members of the Red and White collected spots in tomorrow’s final for the 400m with Crim pacing the crew in second (49.13), followed by Ian Gormley (6th – 49.97) and Owen Buroker (7th – 50.15) who each laid down new personal bests. With hurdles placed at the same distance Regan stopped the timer at 58.98 for sixth to head to the final. Unfortunately, Benjamin Dench fell just outside the Top-10 in 11th at 1:01.95.

Distance

The 800m prelims saw DC qualify three men for the final as Trevor Richwine crossed in third (1:54.84). He will be joined by James Masterson (5th – 1:55.49) and Jeremy Sallade (7th – 1:54.48). Amos Liles and Matthew Gareau also competed grabbing 17th (2:01.07) and 18th (2:01.38) respectively.

Dickinson sent two athletes out to the track to take part in the 3000m steeplechase with Nolan Meincke and Nathan Caldwell each posting personal best times to earn sixth (9:36.97) and seventh (9:38.37).

Relays

The Red Devils claimed their first gold medal of the championship during the 4x800m as the team hit the line in 7:42.14 to take the victory.

Special

Josh Penny took part in the decathlon and ended the event in seventh with 4078 points. His top two events were the high jump (1.55m) and the 1500m (5:02.23) where he nabbed fourth in both.

Field

Stroka returned to the field after claiming second for the hammer throw on Friday and landed in 13th during the discus with a toss of 34.00m.

Kieran Santos finished off the Top-10 for the high jump after clearing a height of 1.73m.

Team Scores

Ursinus leads the way with 93 points, followed by: Johns Hopkins (91), Gettysburg (36), Dickinson (33), Swarthmore (27), Haverford (24), Franklin & Marshall (19), McDaniel (16) and Muhlenberg (12).

Up Next

Dickinson returns to Patterson Field on Sunday for the final day of the Centennial Conference Championships at Ursinus College.

“We are thrilled to welcome Samari to the Blazer family,” Norton said. “At 6-3, she brings size, athleticism, and a relentless motor to our frontcourt. Samari is a dominant rebounder, runs the floor with purpose, and gives us a strong defensive presence inside. Beyond her physical tools, she’s an incredible teammate and a winner. She fits our culture perfectly, and we’re excited for the impact she’ll make at UAB.”

The 6-3 forward spent two seasons at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. During her freshman season she saw action in 34 games and started in 14. Taylor averaged 3.1 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field. She also recorded 3.3 rebounds per game. 

Last season Taylor played in 32 games while making 16 starts. The Louisville, Kentucky native averaged 4.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Taylor had a 51.2 shooting percentage from the field as a sophomore. 

For her JUCO career, Taylor averaged 3.9 points, 3.7 rebounds per game and shot 49.5 percent in field goal range. She played in 66 games and started in 30 while tallying 256 points and 246 rebounds. 

Taylor joins Jordan Rosier, Monae Duffy and Britiya Curtis as the fourth portal signee for the 2025-26 class and joins freshmen signees Ashlyn Howard, Mari Miller, Sofia Munoz and Peyton Musial. 

2025-26 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON TICKETS

Season tickets for the 2025-26 UAB women’s basketball season are available for $50 for general admission tickets. Reserved courtside seating is also available for $115. For more information about women’s basketball ticket packages, call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

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