Sports
Samjin Hadzic missed Essex’s graduation to compete in New England meet
(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
On June 14, the Essex High School Class of 2025 gathered at the school for graduation, but one senior was missing from the festivities.
Senior star hurdler Sanjin Hadzic was in New Britain, Connecticut, competing in the New England track and field championship.
Back in early May, Hadzic realized that the two events conflicted with each other and took some time to think about his decision.
The senior qualified for the New England meet after setting a personal and state record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.79 seconds at the Essex Invitational, edging out his rival Avery Gilbert from Mount Mansfield (Gilbert earned the state record for the first time at the D-I track championship less than a week later.) His performance at Essex Invites helped Hadzic make his decision.
“I realized I could win it. I was seeded second out of all of New England,” Hadzic said. “Me and that guy from Connecticut were both really close with our times … I’ve been getting faster and faster every single week.”
Even though a high school graduation only happens once, Hadzic’s family was supportive of his decision. Hadzic did not need to race at the New England championship, since he already qualified for nationals early in the season.
“My sister (Nejla) and my mom (Dzenita) were very happy because my sister did track as well,” Hadzic said. “(Nejla) said she would have done the same thing as me if she was in my place.”
With his family and coaches watching, the senior put on a show in the 110-meter hurdles race. Hadzic claimed first place with a time of 13.86 seconds, but not without some drama. Hadzic cleared the first six hurdles before taking a stumble.
“The seventh hurdle, I skimmed it to the point where I almost fell,” Hadzic said. “I took a big stride instead of my normal stride so it messed up my rhythm.”
In the next lane over, the runner-up Delante Senior from Connecticut, nearly fell on the eighth hurdle so both of them were wobbling to the finish line. Hadzic cleared the final hurdle with no issue, however, as he won the race by two-hundredths of a second. MMU’s Gilbert took fourth in the event.
This spring track season was a redemption season for Hadzic in bigger meets. The senior earned fifth place in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2024 New England meet and had a poor run in the preliminary race of 55-meter hurdles at the 2025 Indoor New England Track Championships.
“Sanjin’s goal was to be the best,” Essex hurdles coach Jamaal Hankey said. “He’s like, ‘I want to win it, I don’t want to lose anymore.’ … I was expecting him to win. I didn’t expect it to happen in the way that it did, but it was beautiful.”
Hadzic still found some time on June 14 to wear his cap and gown, but got a special surprise during the award ceremony for the 110-meter race.
“I got my diploma on the podium after I won hurdles,” Hadzic said. “That was pretty cool because there’s probably a couple thousand people there. I got some pictures with my cap and gown on and my trophy I got from winning hurdles.”
It wasn’t just the diploma holder, but a physical copy of the diploma that the Hornets coaches brought with them. The PA announcer made a special announcement to all the fans saying that Hadzic graduated.
Hadzic is doing online community college this summer and will be touring colleges in the fall, but wants to continue his track and field career at the next level. These last two meets of his high school career give him more opportunities to impress college coaches. The senior will be competing in the New Balance Nationals meet at the University of Pennsylvania on June 21, looking to take back the state record. Then, the graduation celebrations will continue.
“I’m just looking forward to what he does at nationals,” Hankey said. “We’ve checked off a lot of boxes on goals this season, but we have one more goal. It’s the state record, so I’m looking forward to that happening.”
Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
WASHINGTON – Deniz Dakak adds an AVCA All-American honorable mention selection to her outstanding sophomore season, announced on Wednesday morning by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She is the ninth player in program history to receive the honor in addition to her All-Region selection on Dec. 9.
Dakak’s young career was put into the spotlight this season after she led the Patriot League in assists each week of the 2025 campaign. She was the quarterback of AU’s offense, which put up staggering numbers. The Eagles hit .294 at the end of the regular season, ranking 12th in the country before they hit a Patriot League Tournament record .500 in the conference championship match.
The Istanbul, Turkey native averaged 10.53 assists per set this year, and finished the season with over 1,028 after the NCAA Tournament. Dakak was named the Patriot League Player and Setter of the Year, just the third player to ever earn both awards. With two seasons left, Dakak is on pace to finish in the top 10 of AU’s all-time assists list.
AVCA All-American Awards
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In Thursday night’s NCAA Volleyball national semifinals, two coaches who are very familiar with one another will square off in the night’s second match. Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner and Wisconsin skipper Kelly Sheffield have a relationship that goes back decades.
Skinner and Sheffield are both from the Muncie, Indiana, area. In 1990, they led a Muncie Burris High School junior varsity team to an undefeated record.
Skinner and Sheffield would go their separate ways before both eventually became Division I head coaches. Skinner was named the head coach at Kentucky in 2004, while Sheffield was the head coach at Albany and Dayton before landing the Wisconsin job in 2012.
The UK head coach had nothing but praise for his counterpart in Thursday’s match.
“Kelly has earned everything he’s gotten,” Skinner said. “He’s come from humble beginnings, both in school and in coaching. He’s been on — coached and packed his car in an evening, had to be in Houston 20 hours later to start his first coaching job probably making about $10,000 a year. I have a lot of respect for someone that earned their way to this point in time.”
Skinner is also appreciative of the Muncie roots that both he and Sheffield have.
“You have to give a lot of credit to the Shondell family and Don Shondell for starting the Ball State program,” Skinner said. “Steve Shondell, the oldest Shondell son, played in and started the Muncie Burris program and Munciana Volleyball Club. When I started coming through Ball State, yeah, I’ll try this coaching thing. I just fell in love with what they were about.
“Ball State University started as a teacher’s college. Coaching is teaching,” Skinner said. “The joy and passion and interest in helping players do something better than they have ever have before. You really felt the essence of what coaching is.”
Skinner believes that his early beginnings showed him just how much he really wanted to be a coach.
“I tried to get away from coaching for a while,” Skinner said. “I had an accounting degree, got into banking. It sucked me back in because I love the competition and the teaching aspect. That started in Muncie, Indiana, in 1988 or ‘89 for me.”
For those who want to get into to coaching, starting off the way Skinner and Sheffield did is not rare. But Skinner knows that it has to be something you love.
“I always tell people that if you’re going to get into coaching, don’t get in it because you like it and you can make some money,” he said. “Get into it because you have a passion for helping people go above and beyond where they are. Kelly has demonstrated that for a long time.”
Two coaches who once coached a high school junior varsity team together square off in Thursday’s national semifinals when Kentucky plays Wisconsin. It’s a lesson in how much hard work and dedication can pay off.
Colyer led the way with a First Team All-American award at outside hitter, followed by Booth with a Third Team All-American nomination at the middle blocker position. In head coach Kelly Sheffield‘s tenure, 21 individual athletes have garnered 47 separate All-American honors in 13 seasons.
Colyer joined that group of athletes, putting together one of the most impressive individual seasons in UW history en route to her fourth All-American award of her career. The Lincoln, California, native recently eclipsed the 2,000-kill mark in her career against No. 2 Stanford in the NCAA Regional Semifinal—combining for 50 kills over the Badgers’ pair of matches in Austin, Texas.
The outside hitter broke the school record for most kills in a season, as she enters this week’s National Semifinals with 566. Colyer has accumulated double-digit kill totals in every match except for one this season, as she currently holds a 19-match streak of 10 or more kills, good for the second-longest streak in program history.
In the national ranks, Colyer places third in kills per set at 5.39. No other Badger in the Rally Scoring Era (since 2008) has finished the season with over five kills per set. She also ranks third in points per set at 5.97.
In leading the Badgers to a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference, Colyer broke the school record for most kills at 345. Sarah Franklin was the only other athlete at UW to surpass 300 kills in the 20-match span.
Colyer excelled on the defensive end as well, recently surpassing the 1,000-dig mark in her storied career. The senior accumulated nine double-doubles in digs and kills in the 2025 season.
Right by her side, Booth strung together another impressive campaign for the Badgers—notching her second-career All-American award.
Offensively, the 6-foot-7 middle blocker has been efficient in her attack, as she is currently on pace to shatter UW’s record for highest hitting percentage in a single season. Booth sits at .454 entering the National Semifinal match, good for second-highest in the country. She has turned in zero errors in 11 matches this year.
The Denver, Colorado, native recently put together her strongest weekend of the season, highlighted by a .700 (14 – 0 – 20) swinging percentage turned in against No. 2 Stanford. Her 14 kills tied a career-best, as she followed it up with 11 more versus No. 1 Texas to help punch the Badgers’ ticket to Kansas City.
The 6-foot-7 middle blocker currently leads the team in blocks (123) and blocks per set (1.17) as well—showcasing her continued physical presence at the net.
Booth and Colyer are set to be teammates next season for the Dallas Pulse of Major League Volleyball, as they were recently selected in the draft less than a month ago.
Badger fans can catch both All-Americans in action on Thursday, Dec. 18, as UW will look to continue their postseason run. The Badgers are slated to face No. 1 Kentucky at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, as first serve will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first National Semifinal between No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Pittsburgh, which is set to start at 5:30 p.m. CT. Both matches will be televised on ESPN.
Updated Dec. 17, 2025, 11:38 p.m. ET
KANSAS CITY, MO ― Upon arriving at last year’s NCAA volleyball Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky, Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Dan Fisher received several commemorative Louisville Slugger bats.
Throughout the 2025 season, they would sit in his office in special holders, serving as a reminder of what could have been. Last December, Pitt’s title push ended shy of the championship game. After making four consecutive Final Four appearances without winning a trophy, the No. 1 overall seed fell short ― again. The Panthers lost 3-1 to the Louisville Cardinals in the semifinals and went home empty-handed.
On Wednesday, Fisher, well aware that Pitt let a potential chance at a championship slip away, reflected on the disappointment he felt.
“I can simultaneously be proud of making the Final Four and disappointed we didn’t advance,” he said. “I can hold those two thoughts at once.”
The balancing act of holding space for pride and disappointment has likely been something the Panthers coach and his team have been silently juggling all season. At some point, it probably had to become a small part of what fueled them to get back to volleyball’s biggest stage and return for a fifth straight Final Four ― even if they may never admit it out loud. Multiple opportunities to win a championship don’t happen often, and when a team can’t bring home any hardware, the questions about winning inevitably become louder.
Will Pitt ever be the “bride” and not the “bridesmaid”? Is this the year the Panthers finally put it all together?
Six total players at the 2025 Final Four have experience playing at this level. Fisher’s roster has five of the six Final Four veterans. Pitt opposite Olivia Babcock and middle blocker Bre Kelley have been to two prior Final Fours. Several other Panthers players have been to at least one. Wisconsin Badgers middle blocker Carter Booth, with one appearance, is the remaining player. With so many young and new faces on all four tournament rosters, Pitt’s experience could prove valuable if it wants to reach the national championship on Sunday. Babcock addressed the potential advantage during Wednesday’s Panthers press conference.
“Since so many people have been here before, we were able to prepare the newer players coming into this experience what to expect,” Babcock said. “We’re also able to just remind them constantly that even though there will be a lot of media ― things there wouldn’t typically be ― stay locked in at the goal at hand. It is very easy to get distracted. I think those players are going to help our newer players be able to hone in on the task.”
Babcock stressed that it’s an honor to be on the Final Four stage. Still, she says the Panthers are focused. Their preparation has been better, including how they practice and scout opponents and visualize matches. Kelley shed a bit more light on how the Panthers are staying grounded as they approach Thursday’s semifinal match.
“In the past, I feel like we’ve always made it a point that we have to win the Final Four. This year, we have really emphasized, especially with our sports psychologist, to play ball,” Kelley said. “Obviously, we’re trying to embrace this moment and be where our feet are. This game is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be severely taxing on your mind and body.”
The Panthers revealed that the team has broken down every intense matchup, as far back as a September regular-season sweep against the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats, to just one point at a time. The team said even in a dominant 3-0 win like that one, the focus this year has been on being “good” after getting to 20 points in a set. Once the Panthers get to that point, Babcock says they are “able to flip a switch”. Then, it becomes a matter of which team gets to 25 first. She believes that if Pitt is playing “the best points of (their lives)”, they’ll find a lot of success. Fisher seemed to be in lockstep with that thought process.
“The main message is just to stay in the moment,” he said. “Along with that, we were touching on it earlier about what’s different about this team, and I think when we’re playing our best, we’re really good. So just knowing that we don’t know what the outcome will be, but we certainly know how good we can be…”
Pitt takes on No. 3 Texas A&M during the 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN.
Kofe earned the distinction via a 3.81 GPA while majoring in marketing and leading the Aggie offense to a program-record .274 hitting percentage this season, ranking third in the nation with 11.08 assists per set and also earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors. Kofe is the only player in the nation with three matches of 60 or more assists. Her 1,330 total assists this season ranks fifth all-time at USU while she already sits in eighth for career assists at Utah State with 2,290. Kofe also added 32 kills, 28 aces, 285 digs and 37 total blocks on the year.
Barlow received the honor after posting a 3.97 GPA while majoring in integrated studies. This season, Barlow Utah State’s single-season program record for hitting percentage with a mark of .444, shattering the previous mark of .375 (min. 5 attempts per set) held by Denae Mohlman and set in 1997. Barlow is now the career record holder for hitting percentage, sitting at .418 for her career at Utah State, topping current assistant coach/director of operations Kennedi Hansen’s career mark of .362 (min. 1,000 attacks). Barlow recorded six matches of at least 17 attempts and zero hitting errors this season while no other player in the nation had more than four according to ESPN research. Barlow finished with 321 kills, 18 aces, 51 digs and 93 blocks on the season. She earned All-MW honors for the fourth time in her career.
Helgesen earned the award after recording a 3.57 GPA while majoring in psychology. Helgesen finished the season with 391 kills on a .295 hitting percentage, the 10th-highest hitting percentage in program history with at least five attempts per set. Helgesen also ranks seventh all-time for career hitting percentage at USU (min. 1,000 attempts) with a mark of .275 as an Aggie. Helgesen broke USU’s single-game hitting percentage record with at least 20 attempts, hitting .704 against Grand Canyon. Helgesen also added 26 aces, 96 digs and 68 blocks on the year. She earned All-MW honors for the first time in her career this season.
Štiglic earned the honor after posting a 3.68 GPA and majoring in marketing. Štiglic finished the season with a team-high 3.56 kills per set, totaling 431 kills alongside 29 aces, 146 digs and 63 blocks. Štiglic earned all-MW honors this season after ranking seventh in kills per set (3.63) and fourth in points per set (4.27) during conference play. Štiglic also ranked sixth in the MW with 0.31 aces per set, totaling 21. She hit double-digit kills in 17 of 18 matches during MW action, totaling nine kills in her lone match not reaching the plateau. Štiglic also recorded seven matches with multiple aces.
Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
– USU –
The Honorable Mention All-America honors come after both Ptacek and Zelenovic were named First Team All-Big 12, leading one of the league’s most efficient and balanced offenses. Under first year head coach Matt Ulmer, the Jayhawks finished with a 24-11 and the program’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 all-time.
Ptacek, a native of Prescott, Wis., earns her first career All-America honors after hitting .314 with 331 kills, 136 blocks and 27 service aces during the 2025 season. Ptacek was recently named to the AVCA All-Region Team and was named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List during the 2025 season.
Zelenovic, a freshman from Novi Sad, Serbia, finished a standout freshman season for the Jayhawks, leading the team with 485.5 total points, 375 kills, 46 service aces and a .276 hitting percentage. Defensively, Zelenovic posted 123 total blocks. Zelenovic was also named to the AVCA All-Region Team and was named as the Central Region’s Freshman of the Year.
Ptacek and Zelenovic are the latest Jayhawks to earn All-America honors, becoming the 14th and 15th Jayhawks to earn All-America honors all-time. Kansas has had multiple All-Americans in just eight seasons all-time, including 2025, 2024, 2023, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.
See below for a full list of Kansas volleyball All-American honors:
Josi Lima 2003 Honorable Mention Caroline Jarmoc 2013 Third Team 2012 Second Team Chelsea Albers 2014 Honorable Mention 2013 Honorable Mention Sara McClinton 2013 Honorable Mention Erin McNorton 2013 Honorable Mention Cassie Wait 2016 Honorable Mention Ainise Havili 2017 Honorable Mention 2016 Third Team 2015 First Team 2014 Honorable Mention Kelsie Payne 2017 Third Team 2016 First Team 2015 First Team Madison Rigdon 2017 Honorable Mention 2016 Honorable Mention Caroline Bien 2021 Honorable Mention Reagan Cooper 2023 Third Team Camryn Turner 2024 Third Team 2023 Honorable Mention Toyosi Onabanjo 2024 Honorable Mention
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