Courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID

ST. PAUL – The Martin Luther College men’s track and field achieved another major accomplishment on Wednesday, picking up 11 All-Conference selections, the most in program history. On Saturday, the Knights took home their first UMAC Outdoor Championship as a member of the NCAA (previous UMAC Championship came in 1998 and 1999 as a member of the NAIA), scoring 234 points, beating out UW-Superior (212 points).

To earn All-Conference recognition, an individual or relay team must finish first or second in an event on Friday or Saturday of the UMAC Championships. MLC had 10 student-athletes hit that mark, making them eligible for the postseason awards.

Arthur Robinson was named the Top Scoring Athlete of the meet (given to the best all-around performance of the meet) and the Rookie of the Year. The MLC men’s coaching staff was also given the Coaching Staff of the Year award after winning first place at the UMAC Championships.

The following individuals were named to the All-Conference team, and the events that gave them a spot can be seen below:

Arthur Robinson – 200m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump

Daniel Ertman – 400m, 4x400m relay

Daniel Reinke – Discus

Lucas Holtz – 4x100m relay

Matthew Hillmer – 400m hurdles, 4x100m relay

Micah Schibbelhut – 4x400m relay, (All-Sportsmanship Team)

Ryan Schmidt – 4x400m relay

R.J. Perry – Discus, Shot Put, Hammer Throw

Sam Plocher – 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, High Jump

Stephen Wietzke – 100m, 200m, 4x100m

WOMEN’S TRACK

AND FIELD

The MLC women’s outdoor track and field team was given three All-Conference selections after their performance at the UMAC Championships this past weekend.

The Knights took third at the Championships, scoring a total of 127 points.

To earn All-Conference recognition, an athlete must finish either first or second in an individual event or relay race.

Jemimah Habben, Elise Nolte, and Madelinn Romsdahl were the three MLC student-athletes to receive All-UMAC honors. Habben finished the 3000m steeplechase in second after her MLC record-setting time of 12:03.94, while Nolte also broke the MLC record in the hammer throw, heaving the hammer 41.30 meters for second.

Romsdahl placed second in the discus throw after a mark of 39.26 meters, which was a personal and meet record.

Ella Schlei was voted to the All-Sportsmanship team, representing the MLC women’s team.

The Volleyball England Working Group Lead and Hall of Fame member will fly out to officiate at the event on Manila, Philippines, which will be held from 12th to 28th September 2025. 

A total of 64 matches will be staged across the 17 days of competition. 

Among the nations competing will be Pairs 2024 Olympics medallists Ffrance (gold), Poland (silver) and USA (bronze) as well as the likes of Italy, Brazil, Japan and the host country. 

K-Pop group BOYNEXTDOOR will be the headline performers at the opening ceremony on 12th September at Mall of Asia Arena. 

Digital Content Producer

Birmingham, Ala.

Drew helps create and manage news, weather, and sports content for the digital properties of WBRC 6 News, including WBRC.com, the WBRC News and First Alert Weather apps on your smartphone, and the WBRC apps on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire devices. That also includes content posted to our social media accounts on Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram.

After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2004, Drew began his journalism career at WBRC 6 in 2007. After stops in Lake Charles, La. and Montgomery, Drew returned to Birmingham in 2014.

Drew grew up in Trussville and is proud to call the Birmingham area home.

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

DIVISION 1
Pool Play
#6 Newport Harbor d. #3 Loyola, 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-23

QUARTERFINALS
DIVISION 2
Mater Dei d. Edison, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19
St. Francis d. El Segundo, 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 24-26, 15-11
St. Margaret’s d. Burbank Burroughs, 3-1
Peninsula d. Santa Margarita, 3-2

DIVISION 3
Tesoro d. Los Alamitos, 25-13, 28-26, 20-25, 20-25, 15-8
North Torrance d. San Marino, 25-23, 25-27, 25-21, 20-25, 15-5
Warren d. Santa Monica, 3-1
Orange Lutheran d. Mission Viejo, 25-21, 27-25, 25-23

DIVISION 4
Corona Santiago d. Westlake, 3-2
Santa Barbara d. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 3-0
Crean Lutheran d. Dos Pueblos, 3-1
Sage Hill d. Royal, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 15-10

DIVISION 5
Newbury Park d. Oak Park, 26-24, 25-23, 25-16
Esperanza d. Wiseburn Da Vinci, 3-0
Kennedy d. California, 25-17, 25-15, 25-21
Vista Murrieta d. Rancho Alamitos, 25-17, 25-13, 25-17

DIVISION 6
Quartz Hill d. Rio Hondo Prep, 19-25, 26-28, 25-21, 25-18, 15-13
Village Christian d. Oxford Academy, 28-26, 25-14, 25-22
Laguna Blanca d. OC Pacifica Christian, 3-1
El Toro d. Yucaipa, 18-25, 32-30, 25-16, 25-17

DIVISION 7
Brea Olinda d. Lakewood, 26-24, 25-17, 25-17
San Jacinto d. La Serna, 25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 25-15
San Gabriel Academy d. Jurupa Valley, 3-0
Brentwood d. Hawthorne MSA, 3-1

DIVISION 8
Lancaster Desert Christian d. Carpinteria, 3-1
Katella d. Southlands Christian, 3-2
Wildwood d. Channel Islands, 3-1
Avalon d. Alta Loma, 3-0

DIVISION 9
CAMS d. Heritage, 3-1
San Jacinto Valley d. Firebaugh, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 12-25, 15-13
Downey Calvary Chapel d. Whittier Christian, 3-1
Beverly Hills d. Yeshiva, 19-25, 9-25, 25-13, 25-21, 15-11

Note: Open Division pool play (third round), semifinals in Divisions 2-9 May 10; Finals in all divisions May 16 or 17.

An evening of aloha and achievement lit up Waikīkī as the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation hosted Duke’s Night, an annual celebration honoring Hawaiʻi’s rising athletes. Held on Wednesday, May 7, at Outrigger Canoe Club, the event recognized outstanding local youth athletes and reaffirmed the community’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of island leaders. All proceeds from the night will fuel future scholarships and grants, continuing Duke Kahanamoku’s enduring legacy of excellence and generosity.

Of the 41 local athletes to receive scholarship support from the foundation this year, seven were from Maui including: Kalia Kaneta and Kaysa Ong of Maui High School; Avery Kirkham of Maui Preparatory Academy; Kamakanōweo Kekauoha-Schultz and Bella Kuailani of King Kekaulike High School; and Kaili McMillin and Sage Ryden of Seabury Hall Academy.

Attending scholarship recipients were recognized on stage, and the top six scholarship candidates for the 2025 Duke Award Scholarship were showcased in a panel discussion led by ODKF Board Member, Bill Pratt. The Duke Award — a one-time student scholarship of $12,000 — recognizing an exceptional Hawaiʻi high-school senior who exemplifies the character and values of Duke Kahanamoku, went to Chalei Reid from Kahuku.

Chalei Reid is an accomplished volleyball player at Kahuku High School who will continue her athletic journey at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She was named ScoringLive’s OIA East Player of the Year in 2022 and earned OIA East First Team honors in both 2022 and 2024. Beyond sports, Chalei is deeply committed to service, organizing beach cleanups, leading a school supply drive for a school in Tonga, and hosting free volleyball clinics in American Samoa.

The other 2025 Duke Award Finalists, who will also received scholarships, are listed below:

• William Ancheta attends Punahou School and excels in ocean sports such as surfing, paddling, and spearfishing. He shares his love for the ocean by volunteering with Nā Kama Kai, teaching kids about the ocean and ocean safety, along with paddling and surfing. William has paddled the Kaʻiwi Channel multiple times in a six-man outrigger canoe and has raced internationally in Tahiti where his crew placed second in a 40-mile race.
• Kahealani Moriwaki, a senior at Punahou School, is committed to joining the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Rainbow Wahine volleyball team as a libero in 2025. She played on the Punahou Varsity 1 girls volleyball team, where she earned the title of team captain. Kahea plans to major in business at UH Mānoa. She aspires to enhance recruiting opportunities in Hawaiʻi, aiming to showcase the state’s volleyball talent to a broader audience.
• Reia Kimi is a Native Hawaiian scholar athlete at Punahou School, where she has demonstrated exceptional leadership as a four-year varsity water polo goalkeeper, varsity swimmer, and outstanding student. Reia was named to the USA Water Polo National Team in 2021 and the All-Star Regional Team in 2024. She was bestowed the Nick Johnson Inspiration Award by her club team and was twice voted the Most Inspirational Player on her school team. She will join the Villanova University D1 water polo team in the fall. She looks forward to further elevating the Aloha State through public service in the aquatics community and as a healthcare professional.
• Siena Settle, a senior at Le Jardin Academy, has been dedicated to water polo since age 7 and returns as co-captain after leading LJA’s undefeated 2024 ILH D2 championship team. Twice named ILH D2 Player of the Year, team MVP, LJA Athlete of the Year, and Scholar Athlete, Siena plans to continue playing water polo at the collegiate level. An LJA swimmer since 7th grade, she concludes her high school swimming career as varsity co-captain. Beyond athletics, Siena is passionate about developing experiential environmental education opportunities for Hawaiʻi’s keiki and plans to major in environmental studies.
• Jude Washburn from Island School grew up fishing, surfing, and diving in the ocean off Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. In high school, he discovered a passion for outrigger canoe paddling, receiving recognition as team MVP and a KIF All-Star three years in a row. One-man paddling training led to his multiple top-place finishes in the Kauaʻi Hoe Waʻa one-man races and helped Jude to become a better steersman; his Varsity Mixed team won the KIF title in his freshman and senior years.

The mission of Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation is to financially support the development of the individuals and organizations which perpetuate the spirit and legacy of Duke Kahanamoku – Hawaiʻi’s esteemed global ambassador of aloha. With active stewardship from generous donors and the waterman community – ODKF has gifted more than $3.9 million in grants and scholarships since its inception in 1986.

As Hawaiʻi’s young scholars strive to meet the rising cost of higher education, the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation (ODKF) aims to provide the necessary support for its recipients to achieve their education goals. Duke’s Night, now in its seventh year, seeks to celebrate the ODKF scholar-athletes while raising money for future scholarships.

“Duke’s Night is all about bringing amazing student-athletes together with their community to celebrate their success and their aloha spirit, and to let them know that Hawaiʻi is rooting for them, just like Hawaiʻi did for Duke Kahanamoku as he went off into the bigger world to represent us,” says Sarah Fairchild, Executive Director of the Foundation.

The program kicked off with an address by Sonny Tanabe, a swimmer in the 1956 Olympics and a Hawaiʻi Waterman Hall of Inductee. He passed on the same advice that Duke Kahanamoku gave him before the games in Melbourne, Australia, “Remember, you are representing yourselves and your family, your community that you live in, the territory of Hawaiʻi and the United States of America.”

A member of the Hawaiʻi Water Safety Coalition, the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation created the Duke Lifesaver Award to recognize a young person from Hawaiʻi who has demonstrated a meritorious act in or around the water to prevent a drowning or injury. As a Hawaiʻi waterman, Duke Kahanamoku demonstrated throughout his life that he cared about the safety of other people in the water, and continually invited people to enjoy all the ocean has to offer. Though there is no evidence he was a paid lifeguard, he performed preventative actions, rescued swimmers in distress, and even recovered the bodies of drowning victims. He worked extensively with the American Red Cross to promote swimming and water safety across the nation; he introduced surfing to people around the world; and he was the elected Sheriff of Honolulu for 13 terms, tasked with maintaining public safety.

Honolulu Ocean Safety Director Kurt Lager presented the 2025 Duke Lifesaver Award to Noa “Bubba” Puʻu, who has already conducted numerous ocean rescues at the age of 16. He plans to become a Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard after graduating from Waiʻanae High School where he is currently a junior. Puʻu comes from a well-known Mākaha waterman family. His father is Mel Puʻu of the Mauka and Makai Foundation; his grandfather, Buffalo Keaulana, and uncle, Brian Keaulana, are both Hawaiʻi Waterman Hall of Fame inductees.

Brutus La Benz emceed the evening, and Music & Rhythm, an up-and-coming teenage duo from the North Shore of Oʻahu closed out the evening with a dynamic musical tribute.

Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation President, Dr. Andrew “Keola” Richardson, thanked the Dukeʻs Night sponsors: host sponsor, Outrigger Canoe Clun; Gold Sponsors, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Bone & Joint Centers and Raising Cane’s; and Silver Sponsors, Graystone Consulting of Morgan Stanley and First Hawaiian Bank.

Another youth, Anna Dao, was highlighted for donating a special lei t-shirt design; Dao, a student at Punahou, is a rising graphic artist and entrepreneur who owns XOXO, Anna Cards. She is also founder of Next Wave Hawaiʻi, a teen-run non-profit that seeks to break down inequalities.