JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Graduate student Marcus Johnson has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400 hurdles. The Bearcat standout punched his ticket by placing eighth overall at the NCAA East Region Meet on Friday evening at the Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.

Running in the first of three heats, Johnson was fourth overall with a personal-best and school-record time of 49.93. The top three finishers in each of the heats – plus the next three fastest times – advanced to the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 11-14 at the University of Oregon. Johnson was the fastest time of the finishers outside of the top three in their heat and posted the eighth-fastest time overall.

Johnson is the first Binghamton men’s track & field athlete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Dan Schaffer in the 5,000 in 2022. He is also the fifth male Bearcat ever to qualify for a NCAA Division I Track & Field Meet, joining Rory Quller, Cazal Arnett, Erik van Ingen, Jesse Garn and Schaffer. 

More details to follow ….

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Volleyball has officially announced its 2025 schedule. The Huskies’ 29-match regular season slate features a nonconference trip to Canada and Washington for the Western Washington Invitational before returning to St. Cloud to host the 2025 UP North Tournament at Halenbeck Hall. Opening its season on Sept. 4 in British Columbia, SCSU will play eight nonconference matches before beginning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play Sept. 19 at home.

 

The Huskies begin their 2025 season with a trip to Burnaby, British Columbia and Bellingham, Washington for the Western Washington Invitational, hosted by Western Washington and Simon Fraser (B.C.) from Sept. 4-6. SCSU will play at Simon Fraser (British Columbia) before traveling to Bellingham to play San Francisco State (Calif.), the host Western Washington and Central Washington to wrap up the four-match slate. The Huskies have played Simon Fraser three times (1-2, last in 2021), San Francisco State twice (2-0, last in 1990) and Central Washington twice (0-2, last in 2023). SCSU and Western Washington have never met on the volleyball court before. Three of the four teams, and SCSU, ended the 2024 season in the top-25 or were receiving votes.

 

St. Cloud State returns home the following weekend to host the 2025 UP North Tournament at Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies will play matches against Adelphi (N.Y.), Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan and Barry (Fla.). SCSU has played Adelphi once (1-0, last in 2017), Michigan Tech 22 times (16-6, last in 2024), Northern Michigan 28 times (10-18, last in 2024) and Barry once (0-1, last in 1995 NCAA Elite 8). The Huskies split against MTU and NMU in the 2024 UP North Tournament which was hosted by Michigan Tech in Houghton, Mich.

 

Northern Sun play starts Sept. 19-20 when Minot State and UMary come to St. Cloud for the Huskies 2025 conference home opener weekend. The following Tuesday, Sept. 23, SCSU makes its first conference road trip of the season when it travels to Mankato to play Minnesota State. St. Cloud State will play its first ever road Northern Sun match against league newcomer, Jamestown with a trip to Jamestown, N.D. on Sept. 26 and will welcome the Jimmies to St. Cloud on Oct. 25. SCSU is 4-0 all-time against Jamestown, but the teams last met in 1988. Towards the end of the NSIC slate, the Huskies will play rival Concordia-St. Paul in a nonconference matchup at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul on Nov. 4.

 

In total, the Huskies will play 14 home regular season matches (10 conference matches). The NSIC Tournament will run from Nov. 18-Nov. 21 and the NCAA Tournament will begin on Dec. 4 with regional play and conclude with the championship match on Dec. 13.

 

Eight teams on St. Cloud State’s 2025 schedule finished last season ranked in the Final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DII national poll – San Francisco State (No. 2), Concordia-St. Paul (No. 13), Southwest Minnesota State (No. 16), Wayne State (No. 19), Barry (No. 20), Northern State (No. 22), Central Washington (RV), Simon Fraser (RV), while the Huskies finished ranked No. 5, which tied their best final ranking in program history.

2025 SCHEDULE

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  

The University of Southern California water polo coach tied to the “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal will get a new trial on a fraud charge but remains convicted on a bribery charge, a panel of First Circuit judges ruled.

It’s impossible to tell if the jury reached its guilty verdict on Jovan Vavic’s honest services wire fraud charge using a recently invalidated legal theory, the judges said in a Friday opinion. The theory that was shot down in a separate “Varsity Blues” appeal argued that payments to USC could be considered “actionable bribes.”

USC was the victim of the bribery scheme and therefore cannot be considered to have received bribes under honest services fraud, the First Circuit found in US v Abdelaziz.

However, the panel in the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit found misstatements by prosecutors during closing arguments weren’t enough to prompt a new trial for a separate charge—Vavic’s federal programs bribery conspiracy charge.

Prosecutors didn’t contradict jury instructions, and their statements likely didn’t impact the trial’s outcome, the judges said.

As coach, Vavic was paid to help students pose as members of the water polo team and get admitted to USC, according to prosecutors. The scandal ensnared dozens of ultra-wealthy parents, Hollywood stars, and college coaches. Vavic was the only coach to go to trial.

He was convicted in 2022, but granted a new trial after a district court found some evidence from the government wasn’t reliable.

For example, some of the payments from private equity investor John B. Wilson allegedly to secure his son’s admission went to the school’s water polo program, not Vavic, said Judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Separately, Wilson sued USC in Los Angeles state court in September after his fraud and bribery convictions were overturned, asking for his six-figure donation back.

Judge Julie Rikelman wrote the opinion, and Judges Gustavo A. Gelpí and O. Rogeriee Thompson joined.

The case is US v. Vavic, 1st Cir., No. 22-1787, 5/30/25.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—The Long Beach State women’s track and field team opened competition at the NCAA West First Round Thursday at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
 
ON THE TRACK
Rahni Turner overcame a slow start in her 100m hurdles heat to win the race in a new school record time of 13.15. Turner previously held the school record with Hailey Fune’ at 13.21. Her victory automatically advanced her to Saturday’s quarterfinals in the event. The quarters begin Saturday at 4:15 p.m.
 
Claudine Raud-Gumiel missed moving on by one spot in the 100m hurdles. Her 13.44 resulted in 25th in the field of 48. The top 24 compete again on Saturday.
 
Battling a leg injury, Trinity Barnett competed in the 100m and 200m. She ran 11.66 in the 100m, coming in 44th. Returning a little over an hour later, she put up a time of 24.29 in the 200m, finishing 45th out of 48.
 
Sofia Lavreshina missed advancing to the quarterfinals in the 400m hurdles. Her 58.78 was the 26th fastest time in the field of 48.  
 
IN THE FIELD
Giszelle Hrehor fouled on her three attempts in the hammer throw and did not record a place in the event.
 
Jonelle Scott failed to clear the opening height in the pole vault, 13-2 1/4, resulting in a non-placing finish.
 
UP NEXT
Tristyn Flores has advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals in the men’s 100m and men’s 200m. The 100m is scheduled to begin at 4:35 p.m. PDT. The 200m begins at 5:50 p.m. PDT. Friday’s Long Beach State field entries are listed below.
 
ALL TIMES PACIFIC

 
 

~#LongBeachBuilt~