LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The East Carolina track & field team will kick off the 2026 outdoor season this weekend at the Rod McCray Memorial Meet, hosted by the University of Kentucky. Although Kentucky is the host, the competition will take place in Louisville, Ky., at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center. 

The Rod McCray Memorial Meet features a field that includes multiple Power Four programs and strong regional teams, including Ole Miss, Ohio State, Indiana, etc. This provides the Pirates with significant early-season competition. Facing these high-caliber opponents gives ECU a chance to test its performance and establish an early-season benchmark across multiple event groups as they open their outdoor campaign.  

The meet starts on Friday, January 9, at 11:00 a.m. EST, with the first event being Men’s and Women’s high jump. You can find the full meet schedule here.

 

ECU Entries 

Men 

60 Meters – Tyson Tippett, Jace Coleman, Jonathan Willis, Rashun Fountain  

200 Meters – Tyjah Edwards, Chanan Mathis, Bryson Miller  

600 Meters – Jordan Good  

One Mile – Alex Sawyer, Elliott Kleckner  

4×400 Meter Relay 

• Squad A  – Fountain, Mathis, Tippett, Miller 

• Squad B  – Coleman, Edwards, Good, Willis 

Long Jump – Jared Harrell 

Triple Jump – Harrell 

Shot Put – Brandon Gayle, Shakiel Dacres 

Weight Throw – Dacres, Zion Glover  

Women 

300 Meters – Brianna Clayton, Deshay Turner, Amilia Speller  

60 Meters – Kelly Ufodiama, Jaidyn Ramsey, Daisha Shular, Clayton, Turner, Speller  

200 Meters – Dakota Minor, Ciara Douglas, Jalaia Creary, Amaya Pleas  

600 Meters – Madelyn Mead  

One Mile – Abrielle Schweitzer  

60-Meter Hurdles – Kailey Elliott, Aaliyah Brown-Muhammad  

4×400 Meter Relay 

• Squad A  – Brown-Muhammad, Clayton, Creary, Douglas 

• Squad B  – Elliott, Mead, Minor, Pleas, Ramsey 

• Squad C  – Ufodiama, Turner, Speller, Shular 

Long Jump – Kira Hawaaboo  

Triple Jump – Faith Spencer  

Shot Put – Macy Dulaney  

Weight Throw – Anna Baylor, Dulaney  

Trent Moser walked off the court at Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix on March 22 feeling pretty good. With help from his seven kills, the 6-foot-8 BYU transfer and his new team at Grand Canyon had just blanked the No. 6 Cougars, 3-0.

One month later, Moser and the Lopes were left with nothing but a blank stare after GCU abruptly cut its men’s volleyball program. Despite reaching the Final Four the previous season, everybody was out.

As a result, Moser is back at BYU and he brought three of his GCU teammates with him.

“Credit to him and his family,” BYU men’s volleyball coach Shawn Olmstead told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “It will be fun for him to finish this out and that’s a cool part to his story that I think the fans are excited about too.”

Moser, a 2023 member of the MPSF’s All-Freshman Team at BYU and a 2025 honorable mention All-American at GCU, will introduce his three colleagues to Smith Fieldhouse volleyball on Friday when the Cougars open the season against Saint Francis (7 p.m., BYUtv app).

“They have no idea what’s coming,” Olmstead said of the raucous environment that awaits 6-6 Kyle Zediker, 6-5 Connor Oldani and 6-6 Max Phillipe. “Trent tells them and it’s fun to see that interaction, but it will be a first.”

Another AJ?

The Marriott Center is home to freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa. At 6-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, the projected top pick in June’s NBA draft has men’s basketball flying high. Down the road at the Smith Fieldhouse, AJ Cottle, also 6-8 with a wide reach, is ready to make his freshman debut.

“We joke every day, he’s the ‘real AJ,” laughed Olmstead. “That’s our joke — with our humor.”

Just as Dybantsa plays above the rim, Cottle can occupy the air space up to 12 feet, which is 4 feet above the net.

“Mark my words, he’s going to be a standout,” Olmstead said. “He’s going to be one of the guys people are going to pay to come watch play in our gym.”

Olmstead first spotted Cottle after his Timpview graduation. Needing time to mature and grow into his body, and with some prodding by Olmstead, Cottle attended Utah Valley University before serving a two-year church mission to Rosario, Argentina.

“Mark my words, he’s going to be a standout. He’s going to be one of the guys people are going to pay to come watch play in our gym.”

—  BYU coach Shawn Olmstead of Cougar freshman AJ Cottle

In a head-to-head dunk contest between both AJ’s, Olmstead believes his guy would make it interesting.

“Our AJ is probably a little raw. Nothing against AJ (Dybantsa), I’m not questioning his personality, but this kid (our AJ) is unbelievable,” Olmstead said. “This kid would take it on and say, ‘Heck yeah! Let’s go!’ He’d try something dumb probably, but he’s so long and athletic he’d probably make it. It would be fun.”

Opening night

As a player, Olmstead won a pair of national championships at BYU in 2001 and 2004. His coaching run on campus started in 2008 with the women’s program. He moved over to coach the men in 2016. All those seasons have seasoned Olmstead with a grateful heart for the fans that will pack the fieldhouse again on Friday.

“I leave those games or I’m sitting there before they start, and I’m seeing people I’ve seen for the last 20 years, back to when I was a player — the same husband and wife and maybe their kids are now a little older and they are bringing their kids. That means so much to me, more than people know,” he said. “I walk in there and there is a sense of gratitude that people on a Friday and Saturday night will put everything aside to come support and watch and partake and be around our team.”

Olmstead’s Cougars are ranked No. 8 in the preseason coaches poll and projected to finish fifth in the highly competitive Mountain Pacific States Federation. BYU will host the MPSF Tournament at the end of the regular season.

“What a time to be at BYU. It’s wild. It’s a crazy, exciting time to be part of BYU with what’s going on in every sport,” Olmstead said. “The movement, the excitement, the wins. It’s just crazy.”

Heather Olmstead

When Olmstead shifted to men’s volleyball after the 2015 season, it opened the door for his assistant coach and sister, Heather, to lead the women’s program for the next 11 years. After 279 victories and a trip to the Final Four, Heather Olmstead and BYU agreed to part ways on Dec. 11.

“I love her. She has done a phenomenal job. It was an unbelievable opportunity for us to be together and be around each other,” he said. “Heather is unbelievably driven, unbelievably successful. She is going to go do whatever she wants right now and I’m excited for her. I’ll be her biggest fan forever.”

BYU hired Rob Neilson on Dec. 23 to succeed Olmstead as women’s head coach. Neilson is a former assistant for the Cougars and was one of Shawn Olmstead’s teammates on the 2004 national title squad.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com

LAFAYETTE ― McCutcheon volleyball senior setter Lexi Shondell embraced the challenge of expanding her role in 2025.

More kills, more blocks and greater ways of impacting the game. While the bid to win the IHSAA sectional title fell short, Shondell succeeded in each of these roles.

For her efforts, Shondell has been named the Journal & Courier Big Schools Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Capital athletes and students can expect a revamped track and field facility just in time for the fall semester.

The track will be resurfaced with state-of-the-art materials, BSS 2000 RE surface, which are used at The Ohio State University and the University of Oregon’s tracks. 

“This project extends beyond indoor track — sports like tennis, pickleball, basketball and volleyball will benefit from this state-of-the-art training surface,” said Darrell Bailey, director of Athletics. “In addition to supporting our student-athletes year-round, the facility will serve as a versatile venue for major campus-wide events, including commencement, the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and other programs that bring our entire community together.” 

Besides aesthetic benefits, the resurfaced track will allow for better safety, performance and competitive opportunity. Shock absorbtion and greater durability would be just some of the most important upgrades.

“This new surface elevates the standard of our training environment and enhances our capacity to compete and train at a high level. It’s a significant step forward for our program, and it reflects the commitment our institution and alumni have made to supporting Capital track and field,” said Ian Kellogg, director of Cross Country/Track and Field. 

The upgrades will also position the university to host championship events in the future, which would not have been a possibility before.

“From updated courts and a better practice facility for all sports that utilize it, to a significant facelift for the Cap Center overall, this investment positions Capital to provide one of the finest training environments in Division III,” said April Novotny, vice president for Advancement and chief development officer. “[Donors] support not only strengthens the student-athlete experience but also ensures our athletes train on an elite surface and positions Capital to welcome more competitive opportunities in the years ahead.”

Construction should be completed before the 2026-2027 athletic season.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It was college signing day for one Calallen senior. Aubrey Navarro inked her commitment to run sprints for Stephen F. Austin University track and field.

She holds Calallen high school records in the 100, 200 and long jump according to MaxPreps. Navarro made it to Regionals her freshman season. Her journey was not easy, battling injuries the last two seasons. So to make it this far is a huge accomplishment.

“It means a lot because it’s just like so many things have happened lately, and to making it to go D1 and competing at a collegiate level is just a dream that I’ve always wanted since I was little,” Navarro.

Her 100 meter dash personal best time is 11.72 seconds, which she ran at the 97th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 26, 2025.

Larissa Liska

Navarro began running track when she was 5-years-old at Pure Speed Performance with Coach Rueben Flowers. She’s excited to represent Corpus Christi at the Division 1 level.

“It means a lot because not a lot of people in the Coastal Bend go for track, or do track or really are into track like I am,” Navarro. “It just means a lot to know that I can be a role model for others that really want to do it.”