Burmester’s award caps a standout senior year for the cross country and track and field teams.

The fall cross country season saw her lead the Falcons to the first NE10 championship in program history and she qualified individually for the NCAA Championship. She was the NCAA East Region champion, the USTFCCCA East Region Runner of the Year and the NE10 Sport Excellence Award winner for women’s cross country.

In track and field she won four individual gold medals, the 800 meter and the one mile indoors and the 800 and 1500 meter outdoors.

Burmester, who was Bentley’s Edward J. Powers Scholar-Athlete Award winner, majored in both accounting and liberal studies and maintained a 3.95 GPA. She’s earned eight NE10 Academic All-Conference team selections in her career for both cross country and track.

The last Falcon female athlete to win this award was women’s basketball standout and Bentley Hall of Famer Lauren Battista in 2014.

Additionally, Eric Gaynor was presented with the Dr. Dave Landers Faculty Mentor Award.

Gaynor is a Lecturer in Bentley’s Department of Accounting. A Certified Public Accountant, his work is primarily with health & human service agencies, with an emphasis on child welfare. He advises several state agencies as Senior Consultant for Sivic Solutions Group and was a Project Manager with Maximus specializing in revenue maximization.

Professor Gaynor’s nomination was submitted by Bentley volleyball players Elizabeth Blinn and Sofia Zingariello, who noted “Professor Gaynor is one of Bentley’s most prominent mentors. He makes himself available for many hours of the day outside of class time, so that students can ask him questions about class material, their careers, or anything else that they may need to be successful.”

They added, “Above all, Professor Gaynor is committed to building meaningful relationships with his students and staying in touch with them after they have taken his class. He is always sending out networking events and other career-growing opportunities to his current and former students, in an effort to help prepare them for a career after graduating. No professor has prepared us for the real-world like Professor Gaynor has.”

Release provided by Bentley athletics.

ABOUT THE NE10

The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

 

Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.

Sage Hill boys’ volleyball swiftly put up one program first after another over the last two seasons, the crown jewel arriving Saturday in the inaugural state championships.

When the hardware was handed off to Sage Hill coach Jordan Hoppe, he raised the trophy — shaped like the state of California — above his head. His players surrounded him and began chanting in celebration.

This was the pinnacle of a two-year run led by a transformative force in Jackson Cryst, the 6-foot-10 outside hitter headed to Long Beach State.

Cryst had 23 kills, three service aces and 1½ total blocks, as Sage Hill swept San Francisco International 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 in the CIF State Division III final at Fresno City College.

“It was a business trip, and I think everybody took it really seriously, and that’s why we got the result that we wanted,” said Cryst, who transferred from Long Beach Millikan for his junior year. “Nobody came in there to mess around, and I think that showed in the clean sweep.”

Sage Hill (23-11) finished the season on a 13-match winning streak, which also saw the Lightning claim a second section title in as many seasons by beating Santa Barbara on the Dons’ home court in five sets in the Division 4 final.

“The season’s over now,” Cryst added. “I think for so long, it was always on to the next game. Even after winning CIF, we knew the job wasn’t finished. To finally be able to know that the season was over, we did all we could and we won and we reached that goal, I think that was super motivating for everybody. It was honestly a huge relief. If you look at everybody on match point, it was almost like a huge sigh of relief that we did it.”

Junior Connor Gapp, who split his playing time between the positions of setter and opposite, supplied 24 assists, six kills, three aces and 1½ blocks.

“It’s kind of like a symbol of what we’ve done,” Gapp said of bringing home a state championship trophy. “Winning felt the best, and touching that trophy, maybe taking a few pictures with my teammates, my coaches, my trainer, my family, especially, that was really sweet to be with all of them.

“The trophy will always be up at Sage. The banners will always be there. It will be nice to look at that next year, maybe give us some motivation to do something similar in the future.”

Junior setter Jonathan Ye contributed 14 assists and an ace. Junior outside hitter Ryan Manesh added 11 kills and an ace. Junior middle blocker Carson Ellis had two kills and two block assists, and junior opposite Dylan Han chipped in with three kills.

Manesh struck a similar chord to Gapp, noting the “journey” that led the Lightning to the championships was what was most important to him. He recalled the team bonding experiences, such as playing card games on the bus.

“These memories are going to last a lifetime,” Manesh said. “Obviously, winning the finals, that has a special place in my heart, but like the team, the team culture, the team bonding, just this team as a whole, I’m going to remember them for the rest of my life.”

Santino Scanlon had eight kills, an ace and a solo block to lead International (27-8). Lyndon Song and Liam Wilson each produced five kills, and Colton Klingebiel added four kills and two blocks.

Hoppe reflected on the title, saying “it’s very cool to be on the right side of history.”

“To be able to do that is just an incredibly special achievement and honor,” Hoppe said of bringing Sage Hill its first state title in a male sport since the school opened in 2000. “To be remembered in the gymnasium with a banner up there and just to think about the guys on this team, and just the total buy-in of all the individuals on this team. It was incredible.

“Clearly, we had arguably one of the best players in the country, Jackson Cryst, but that’s just one player. Our team was able to really buy in and elevate their game to support and to provide the right team chemistry to make this thing happen.”

ANAHEIM — As high profile as he is, Newport Beach-based sports agent Scott Boras is often behind the scenes when he negotiates deals for his baseball player clients.

Boras, sitting in the front row at Dodger Stadium, ended up on television during Sunday night’s Dodgers game against the visiting New York Yankees after snagging a ninth-inning foul ball.

“I told ESPN, has your programming gotten to the level where you’re going to interview some guy catching a foul ball?” Boras joked in an interview Tuesday night.

“You know, baseball has given me everything I have. It’s frankly a very small community, when you think about it.”

Two nights later, Boras was again in the spotlight about 30 miles south on the 5 Freeway. He was at Angel Stadium for the inaugural OC Sports Awards, where he received the Lifetime Achievement award.

Boras, 72, has negotiated nearly $4 billion in contracts for his clients over the years and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Just last year, client Juan Soto signed a $765-million contract with the New York Mets, the largest in sports history.

Evolution Award honoree Kaleigh Gilchrist arrives at the inaugural OC Sports Awards on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Longtime Boras client and Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux was on hand Tuesday to present Boras with his award at the event hosted by the Orange County Sports Commission.

Boras seemed to appreciate Maddux being there, noting his extensive durability — 355 wins during a 23-year Major League Baseball career, including 17 straight seasons with at least 15 wins.

He’s also proud of his namesake Boras Baseball Classic, which has had more than 500 participants hear their names called in the Major League Baseball draft, including four No. 1 overall picks.

“[Maddux] taught me how to manage greatness,” Boras said during his acceptance speech. “Managing greatness is so difficult, because the athlete is invincible, and yet you have to give them advice and counsel to protect them. You have to have the courage to approach greatness and let them understand the word, ‘No.’”

Newport Beach-based sports agent Scott Boras is interviewed on live television at the OC Sports Awards on Tuesday night.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Newport Beach’s Kaleigh Gilchrist was another local honoree at the OC Sports Awards. The former Newport Harbor and USC women’s water polo star, a three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, received the Evolution Award.

Gilchrist, also a standout surfer, retired from water polo and married Tom Gehret last August, following the completion of the Paris Olympics, where Team USA placed fourth. Gehret also attended Tuesday’s event.

Gilchrist, 33, said she is trying to figure out what’s next. She does have an opportunity to be the director of surf operations at the Snug Harbor Surf Park, which has been proposed at the Newport Beach Golf Course.

“We still have to get [the facility] passed by council, but hopefully, if all things go as planned, we’ll be open by spring of 2028,” she said. “It’s obviously a dream job. Wave pools are popping up everywhere, and I think they’re going to be the next best thing of surfing. To be involved from day one to when it’s open would be really special.”

Evolution Award honoree Kaleigh Gilchrist, left, and husband Tom Gehret, arrive at the inaugural OC Sports Awards.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Former Mater Dei High, USC and NFL quarterback Matt Leinart served as the night’s host, with the ceremony starting on time despite lightning and thunder in the area that disrupted a planned red carpet.

The OC Sports Awards were co-founded by Orange County Sports Commission executive director Anthony Brenneman and Revolver Sports Public Relations founder and chief executive Amanda Samaan.

Brenneman said the sports commission separated from a larger tourism bureau into its own nonprofit last year.

Other honorees included the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, a Villa Park native, as the Male Pro Athlete of the Year. Professional surfer Caroline Marks, a San Clemente resident, was named Female Pro Athlete of the Year.

Legendary surfer Kelly Slater was the ICON Honoree, late Angels founding owner Gene Autry was the Legacy Honoree and the Jessie Rees Foundation was honored as Philanthropist of the Year. High school and college athletes also earned awards for their excellence.

“We wanted to give an opportunity to honor everyone at every level,” Samaan said. “We also wanted to honor those have come before us to even be here, like Gene Autry. To be able to do it in his house that he built was a full circle moment that we were really honored to be able to do our first year.”

Freeman was not in attendance, as the Dodgers hosted the Mets on Tuesday night. He had a short video message for attendees and a memorable game on the field, hitting a walk-off double in the Dodgers’ 6-5 win.

Sports agent Scott Boras at Tuesday night’s OC Sports Awards at Angel Stadium.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Audrey Allen

Mykolas Alekna’s legendary collegiate season will come to a close at next week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships.

T&F6/5/2025 1:16 PM | By: Cal Athletics

World Record-Holder Will Compete For NCAA Title In Eugene On June 13

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Thursday that California track & field’s Mykolas Alekna, who owns the world record in the discus, has appeared on The Bowerman Watch List for the 23rd time in his career. This is the last watch list to be released this season for The Bowerman, which is awarded each December to the top collegiate men’s and women’s track & field athletes of the year.
 
Alekna, a two-time semifinalist for the award, hopes to advance to that group once more when the men’s honorees are announced June 26. Those 10 men will be winnowed down to three finalists, to be announced July 1.
 

The Olympic silver medalist’s outstanding season opened in April, starting with the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Edwards Stadium in which he threw a then-world lead and ACC record of 70.09m (229-11). One week later, he traveled to Ramona, Oklahoma, and shattered his own world record twice in the same series to improve his mark to 75.56m (247-10), then started off the month of May by obliterating his own meet record with a toss of 71.29m (233-10). Alekna later won his third conference title with a meet and facility record of 69.86m (229-2) at the ACC Outdoor Championships at Wake Forest, then reset the meet and facility records at the NCAA West Regional, hosted at Texas A&M, with a mark of 72.12m (236-7) to advance to his third NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be contested in Eugene, Oregon, from June 11-14. Over the past two months, he has been named the USTFCCCA National Men’s Athlete of the Week twice and an ACC Men’s Field Athlete of the week thrice.
 
Three men (Alekna, Ole Miss’s Tarik O’Hagan-Robinson and North Carolina’s Ethan Strand) appeared on every single Watch List this season. Of those, Alekna is the only one to do so in multiple seasons, also appearing on every Watch List in 2023.
 
The Bowerman Men’s Watch List – Pre-NCAA Outdoor Championships
Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)
Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
James Corrigan, BYU (Mid-Distance/Steeple)
Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ishmael Kipkurui, New Mexico (Distance)
Liam Murphy, Villanova (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss (Throws)
Habtom Samuel, New Mexico (Distance)
Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
 
STAY POSTED

For complete coverage of Cal track & field, follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalTFXC), Instagram (@caltfxc) and Facebook (@Cal Cross Country/Track and Field).
 

Wang is the 2024-2025 editor in chief. She was previously the 2022-2023 Opinion editor and the 2023-2024 Enterprise editor. She is Copy, Arts, News and Quad staff and also contributes to Sports on the men’s volleyball beat, Design, Photo and Video.

Wang is the 2024-2025 editor in chief. She was previously the 2022-2023 Opinion editor and the 2023-2024 Enterprise editor. She is Copy, Arts, News and Quad staff and also contributes to Sports on the men’s volleyball beat, Design, Photo and Video.

Jaida RossThroughout her time at the University of Oregon (UO), 2025 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar Jaida Ross was always interested in bringing her best to the track and field team. In her final competition, the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, she was vital to the Ducks securing the Division I women’s title. 

“Jaida has been a joy to train; she’s always had a great attitude…and she’s willing to work hard, no matter what she does,” says Brian Blutreich, UO assistant coach. “[At indoor nationals] she was a little disappointed she didn’t win the individual title, but she came in second and helped our team win a national title.”

Ross grew up in Oregon as a Ducks fan. She wore the university’s colors, green and yellow, attended UO soccer games and watched UO football. The university felt like home, making it the perfect place to spend her collegiate career. In addition to her desire to excel as a thrower, she was determined to achieve in the classroom. En route to earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology (3.66 GPA) and a Master of Education in prevention science (4.09 GPA) she earned All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), made the UO dean’s list and the Pac-12 academic honor roll and was named Academic All-America First Team by the College Sports Communicators. 

“Education has never been something I’ve taken for granted, and I’ve always seen it as a way to understand the world around me and to make a difference,” says Ross. “Balancing academics with athletics has definitely been challenging, but I’ve learned how to stay disciplined, manage my time and stay focused on my goals. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished and grateful for the support system that has helped me both in the classroom and on the track.”

Her skills as a thrower excelled under Blutreich’s coaching, and in 2024 she was the Pac-12 Champion in both shot put and discus, NCAA Champion in shot put and USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year. Last summer she competed in the shot put at the Olympic Games in Paris. Her fourth-place finish was the highest for an American.

Ross’ eighth grade basketball coach, Piet Voskes, who also coached track and field, directed her to throwing. Once she tried it the sport felt natural. Last year, Voskes attended the Olympic Trials and saw Ross earn her spot on the U.S. team. “A dream I had shared with him from the very beginning,” she says.

In the future, she looks forward to putting her degrees to work. The goal of the prevention science program is to research and explore ways to prevent social issues such as health problems, substance abuse, violence and racism and help people, especially children, live healthier, safer lives.

Ross’ care and concern for future generations has been evident in her extensive community outreach work. She volunteered as part of the Healthy Moves Physical Education program at Two Rivers Elementary School and Page Elementary School in Eugene, OR. She participated in Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams. Ross was also a volunteer assistant track and field coach at Sheldon High School.

“One of the things I’ve loved most is getting the chance to speak at elementary schools and connect with younger students,” Ross says. “I want them to see what’s possible and know they’re capable of big things.”

“One of the things I’ve loved most is getting the chance to speak at elementary schools and connect with younger students,” Ross says. “I want them to see what’s possible and know they’re capable of big things.” 

Dr. Jennie Leander, UO director of services for student athletes and associate athletic director, says Ross was a stellar student. 

“Jaida is someone who shows up for her team, for her community and for her school,” says Leander. “She lifts everybody up that’s around her.” With her master’s program completed and her collegiate eligibility done, Ross is now making her way in professional track and field. Her experiences as a student-athlete have shown her that she has the discipline and motivation to succeed. “I’ve built a strong foundation, and now it’s about learning how to apply those tools in new ways,” Ross says.