JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Thursday afternoon, Ricardo Montes de Oca from the High Point University men’s track and field team represented the Panthers in the men’s pole vault at the NCAA East First Rounds. The freshman from Venezuela qualified for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, becoming the first men’s pole vaulter to punch their ticket to the big dance.
 
The final 12 competitors advanced to the NCAA Championships in each field and Montes de Oca made the cut after clearing three bars. He opened the day at 5.03m, clearing it with ease on his first attempt. He continued his first attempt streak clearing the second bar at 5.18m.
 
Moving on to the third bar along with 15 other athletes, Montes de Oca missed on his first and second attempts. Not feeling any pressure as a young freshman at his first NCAA’s, he regrouped on his third attempt and sailed over 5.43m. He landed a spot in the top 12 and will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, OR and will compete on Wednesday, June 11 at 4:35 p.m. at Hayward Field.
 
Brianna Malone competed in the women’s 1500m first rounds on Thursday afternoon. She paced with the front group of runners in the second heat and crossed the finish line in the top five to qualify for the quarterfinals. She clocked a 4:15.50 time. She will compete in the quarterfinals on Saturday, May 31 at 5:15 p.m. The top 12 athletes will move on to the NCAA Championships in June.
 
Due to weather delays, Emily Romano, Auriane Viola and Sydney Horn will resume the women’s pole vault on Friday at 9:30 a.m. Rachel Vesper and Jackson Tuomey also competed in the pole vault on Thursday and concluded their seasons.
 
On Wednesday, Drew Noblet represented the Panthers in the men’s javelin to jumpstart the events. He placed 32nd in his first-ever NCAA First Round appearance, launching the spear 62.13m on his birthday.
 
Weather delays halted the next events, pushing Justin Sluijter to a 10:00 p.m. jump as he registered a second jump of 7.32m to finish 20th. It was the Dutchman’s first time competing at the NCAA East First Round.
 
Camerin Williams wrapped up the opening day, running in the 800m at nearly midnight and advancing to the quarterfinals on Friday at 7:05 p.m. for a spot in Eugene. The freshman set a new personal best and program record with his third-place 1:47.11 finish.
 

#GoHPU x #DefendTheTeam

University of the Pacific to Restart Men’s, Women’s Diving

The University of the Pacific last week announced a plan to revive its men’s and women’s diving programs starting in the fall.

The diving programs will join the formation of men’s cross country program, a men’s track and field program and an expansion of the women’s field program. The California university’s decision is a response to changes in collegiate sports, billing it as an “innovative expansion as part of a long-term plan to position Pacific as a leading competitor in the West Coast Conference while supporting the university’s enrollment initiatives.”

“We owe it to our student-athletes, campus and community to come up with a way to navigate these changes not by cutting, but by growing,” athletic director Adam Tschuor said in a university statement. “These sports additions are the first step in a plan of growth that will transform Pacific for the better—in enrollment, campus life, engagement and competitive success.”

Pacific has men’s and women’s swimming already. (Among its former coaches are Greg Meehan, Ray Looze and hall of fame water polo coach John Tanner.) Those programs are led by Katelyne Herrington, who has been in charge since 2019 and will oversee the diving addition. Herrington led the men’s team to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship in 2025.

Pacific touted the move with praise from United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee executive vice president and chief of sport and athlete services Rocky Harris.

“I want to commend President Callahan, Director of Athletics Tschuor and everyone at University of the Pacific for taking a bold approach to collegiate athletics—one of support and growth,” he said. “The impacts of collegiate sport are far greater than performance, and Pacific recognized that offering broad based education and sport opportunities makes their student and university community stronger.

“It’s no secret that we believe in the power of sport and work hard to support its growth. At the same time, we understand the challenges of effectively allocating resources. Pacific has shown that these concepts can work successfully together—and I am thrilled for the current and future student athletes who call Pacific home.”

Cal Athletics

For the first time in program history, three women will represent Cal in the hammer throw at the NCAA Championships.

T&F5/29/2025 7:17 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Sends Most Female Throwers To Finals In Program History

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Thirteen women from the California track & field team competed at Texas A&M’s E.B. Cushing Stadium on Thursday, looking to either advance past the NCAA West Regional to the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, or qualify for Saturday’s quarterfinals races.
 
For the first time in school history, three women’s hammer throwers advanced to the NCAA final – the first time that any program has qualified three women since USC did so in 2012. Freshman Valentina Savva will be one of just two freshmen in the field in Eugene and the only one from the West Region after leading the entire competition with a mark of 67.75m (222-3). Audrey Jacobs advanced to her second-career NCAA final after leading the first three flights with a season-best 64.94m (213-1), while ACC Champion Giavonna Meeks will throw at her first outdoor NCAA final after posting a mark of 64.55m (211-9). Adrianna Coleman and Amanda Spear also threw for the Bears, posting marks of 57.90m/189-11 and 55.58m/183-3, respectively.
 
Later, in the shot put, Lucija Leko added nearly a foot to her own school record, placing seventh in the field to book her spot in the final with a mark of 17.10m (56-1.25), bringing Cal’s total of qualifying female throwers to four – a new program best.
 
“As Joe Kapp said, ‘The Bear will not quit. The Bear will not die’,” said assistant coach Mohamad Saatara, drawing on the words of the legendary Cal football head coach.
 
The Bears also performed well in the 100m hurdles, with two women qualifying for Saturday’s quarterfinal. Asjah Atkinson finished third in her heat with a personal-best time of 13.22 to improve her program No. 4 mark and earn the auto-Q, while Saqqara Ruffin raced to a massive wind-aided PR of 13.24 – the fastest non-automatic qualifying time of all entrants. Mari Testa finished just 0.03 seconds off her own personal best with a time of 13.48, but did not place high enough to advance.
 
Atkinson also competed in the women’s long jump, posting a mark of 5.98m (19-7.5). Jayden Hill’s season ended with a time of 2:07.10 in the 800m, while Loreal Wilson finished one spot short of qualification with a time of 58.68 and Ali Sahaida posted a mark of 4.17m (13-8.25) in the pole vault for her best performance at a regional meet.
 
 
NCAA WEST REGIONALS – WOMEN’S RESULTS (Day 2)
800m Prelim – 28. Jayden Hill 2:07.10
100m Hurdles Prelim – 16. Asjah Atkinson 13.22 (Q, PR, 4th Cal History); 17. Saqqara Ruffin 13.24w (q, wind-aided PR); 32. Mari Testa 13.48
400m Hurdles Prelim – 25. Loreal Wilson 58.68
Pole Vault – T31. Ali Sahaida 4.17m/13-8.25
Long Jump – 37. Asjah Atkinson 5.98m/19-7.5)
Shot Put – 7. Lucija Leko 17.10m/56-1.25 (Q, PR, School Record)
Hammer – 1. Valentina Savva 67.75m/222-3 (q); 5. Audrey Jacobs 64.94m/213-1 (q); 7. Giavonna Meeks 64.55m/211-9 (q); 26. Adrianna Coleman 57.90m/189-11; 35. Amanda Spear 55.58m/183-3
 
 
UP NEXT
Cal’s men will finish up Friday, starting with the men’s discus at 11 a.m. PT.
 
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).
 

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Lucy Milliner delivered yet another school record performance, this time on the national stage setting the program 800m record to highlight day one of the NCAA First Round Thursday.
 
Milliner broke the program record with a time of 2:06.41, narrowly coming out ahead of the previous best set by Kelly Young in 2005 (2:06.53). The freshman came just .23 seconds away from advancing to the quarterfinals of the event on time, but now holds the UH records at both 800m and 1500m outdoors, and in the mile indoors.
 
Lilian Turban started off the day for the Rainbow Wahine in the javelin, coming in 40th with a toss of 43.30m (142-1). The Big West champion in the event will next compete in the high jump Saturday – an event in which she also took home the conference crown and was an All-American in 2023.
 
In her first appearance at an NCAA event, Helen Hoadley capped off her incredible UH career by finishing 35th in the pole vault with a mark of 4.02m (13-2.25). Hoadley ends her career as the Hawai’i record holder in the pole vault both indoors and outdoors.
 
Two Rainbow Wahine athletes will be in action Saturday at the NCAA First Round, with Tara Wyllie looking to advance to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump beginning at 9:30 a.m. HT and Turban looking to move on in the high jump starting at 10:30 a.m. HT.
 

SCRANTON – Holy Redeemer hadn’t faced much adversity during a dominant run to the District 2 Class 2A championship final.

The top-seeded Royals, the Wyoming Valley Conference champions, overwhelmed their opponents, losing only one set in 18 matches.

However, in the title showdown against No. 2 Crestwood, the fifth-ranked Class 2A team in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association, got stung. The spirited Comets built a tidal wave of momentum and took the early lead.

Josh Rocha, the dynamic, hard-hitting senior, and his Holy Redeemer teammates would not be derailed. The Royals recovered, responded, and triumphed in a 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-14) win on Thursday night at Scranton High School to claim the team plaque and gold medals.

Holy Redeemer (19-0), which won its first title since 2021, will play the third-place team from District 12 on June 3. Crestwood (14-4), which gave a valiant effort, also qualified for the PIAA tournament and will play District 11 champion Southern Lehigh in the first round.

“This is awesome,” Rocha said. “It is my senior year and my last time playing with the boys. We knew that we just had to play together as a team, and we could come out with the win.”

Holy Redeemer, while showing its tenacity and ability to respond to pressure, turned to Rocha and a more intense attention to defense to win three straight sets.

Rocha’s ability to bounce off the floor and elevate is accentuated by a powerful swing. He slammed 52 kills that pushed his eye-popping total to 896 this season.

Jack Wasiakowski gave the Royals energy.

Even as they had to navigate through a frustrating first set, he continued to encourage them. He helped launch Rocha’s attack with a series of well-placed sets that led to 49 assists.

“They came out strong in that first set, and we were a little bit frazzled,” Wasiakowski said. “I think we figured things out, and we played the kind of ball that we have been working on all year.

“It really goes to show how deep this team is, and when our backs are against the wall, we play our best.”

Defensively, Holy Redeemer clawed its way back by thwarting more threats by Crestwood. Rocha had 10 digs, and Wasiakowski and Max Mohutsky each had eight.

Hayden Fleegle contributed 14 service points, and Mohutsky had 10 for the Royals. Brandan Delbalso and Korey Tang each had four blocks.

“This shows that we are resilient and that we play as a team,” Rocha said.

Crestwood, which suffered a 3-0 loss to Holy Redeemer during the regular season, got off to a good start with Thomas McLaughlin and JJ Stec slamming home winners.

After falling behind, 6-1, in the second set, the Comets fought their way back into the match, pulled even with Holy Redeemer at 15-15, and took a lead of 21-20 before falling, 25-23. Crestwood went toe-to-toe with the Royals again in the third set and had an 18-16 lead late, but couldn’t hold off Rocha, who carried the momentum to a fourth-set win where he had 12 kills.

“We watched a lot of film and got a handle on where Josh liked to hit, and I think that helped us come out with a win in that first set,” Crestwood coach Jeff Stec said. “Josh adjusted, but we kept fighting. We never stopped playing, and I have no regrets with how we played.”

Originally Published: May 29, 2025 at 11:05 PM EDT