Sports
Showcase Q&A: Scotland County’s Hamlin discusses her grandfather’s legacy, music and pickleball


The fourth annual Muddy River Showcase takes place June 21 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game will tip at 2 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 4 p.m. General admission is $10.
MEMPHIS, Mo. — Kwyn Hamlin signed a letter of intent for more than just herself.
By signing with the University of Central Missouri to continue her track and field career, Hamlin is continuing a family tradition. Her grandfather, Charley Hamlin, brought home five state medals for Knox County in 1961.
Charley will not get to see Kwyn live out her college track and field dreams, though. The Hamlin family lost Charley to cancer in August 2020.
“To honor him and carry on the Hamlin legacy, I guess you could say, meant a lot because he helped me a lot with track,” Kwyn Hamlin said.
Even as Charley fought cancer, he was still there for Kwyn.
“When he was really sick, he would still come to all my track meets in my seventh and eighth grade year,” Kwyn Hamlin said.
Charley was also there in spirit with Kwyn, a six-time state qualifier in her career at Scotland County and state medalist in two events this spring, when she signed with UCM on January 19 — Charley’s birthday.
“It means everything,” Hamlin said of carrying on her grandfather’s legacy.
Hamlin will lace up her high tops one more time before beginning her college track career. Hamlin will represent Scotland County for the Missouri girls in the fourth annual Muddy River Showcase. Hamlin discussed her future as a physical therapist, music, pickleball, and more with Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey in this Showcase Q&A.
Q: What are you looking forward to most about playing in the Muddy River Showcase?
A: Definitely being able to lace up the shoes one last time before college and playing with and against some of the best girls in the area.
Q: You’re going to UCM for track. What events are you going to be participating in there?
A: We talked about high jump and some sprints, maybe some different new events.
Q: What are you doing this summer to prepare for what lies ahead?
A: I’m in contact with my college coach a lot. I went and performed in the all-star track meet not too long ago, and he said that he was watching it. He sends workouts and all that. I’ve just been going into the weight room and lifting, getting ready for the college experience.
Q: Will one last time on the basketball court be like one last hoorah? It’s not for a district title or anything. You’re just out there hooping.
A: Yeah, I’m really excited. Basketball was definitely something I wanted to go to college for, but when it came down to it, I was enjoying track more than basketball. It was close, though. I had a few offers for basketball, but UCM really stuck out to me, so I decided to keep doing track.
Q: Did you ever think about doing both basketball and track?
A: I did, but I’m studying kinesiology, so I’ll need to focus more on my studies.
Q: What made you want to get into kinesiology?
A: I have awful ankles. It’s like an inside joke. We have a Barstool page for our school, and I get posted a lot just because of how bad my ankles are. I spend a lot of time in physical therapy because of them, so I want to be able to help other people who have also struggled. Not being able to play a sport is really hard on someone mentally and physically, so I want to help people get back to what they want to do.
Q: Do you have to do anything different as you’re preparing for a meet or a game because of your ankles? Do you wear a brace?
A: I do in basketball. I wear two ankle braces playing basketball, but not during track. I think it’s the defensive slides and things like that that are hard on my ankles. You’d think high jump would be hard on them but it’s really not.
Q: Do you have any crazy ankle injury stories?
A: I was playing AAU basketball this summer, and I had to have my right foot in a boot. I got hurt at the beginning of July. Then softball came along, and I slid into second base, and I rolled my left ankle, so I was in a boot and then I had a brace on my left ankle.
Q: What other hobbies do you have outside of track, basketball, softball, and school?
A: I love pickleball. My friends and I play pickleball all the time. It’s just so fun. We have really nice courts at our town park, so my friends go up there and have little tournaments. I go golfing a little bit here and there, too.
Q: Do you know what your rating is?
A: No, we just play. There are some old people out there every once in a while, and they get very serious.
Q: How long have you been playing pickleball?
A: Since about last July, but then I hurt my ankle, so I had to sit out for a while.
Q: Have you played pickleball much this summer?
A: It hasn’t really been great weather, so maybe like three or four times. I play with my grandpa a lot. He’s a big pickleball guy, but like I said, the older people always take it very seriously, so it’s hard to play with them.
Q: What’s your favorite dessert?
A: Probably apple pie. That’s always so good.
Q: Who’s your favorite musical artist?
A: Probably Usher. I like the 2010s rap. Usher or Drake. I was really big on the Kendrick Lamar-Drake drama there for a while. I probably changed sides like every week.
Q: Did you end up on Drake’s side?
A: Kind of. I like his old music more than Kendrick, but I like Kendrick’s new music more than Drake’s.
Q: So, you were on both sides then?
A: Yeah. The Super Bowl halftime performance by Kendrick kind of sealed it, though. Name dropping at the Super Bowl is crazy.
Q: Do you have a playlist or a few songs that you listen to before a meet or a game?
A: Not really a playlist. It kind of depends. I’ll just come across a song and be like man, “This is really good.” Something by Drake, we’ll just say that.
Q: Is there anything else people should know about Kwyn Hamlin?
A: I hate to lose. I might be the biggest sore loser on the planet. I hate losing. I will do anything in my power not to lose.
Check out more of the Muddy River Showcase Q&As at the links below:
Illini West’s Reagan Reed
Payson Seymour’s Blake Schwartz
South Shelby’s Callie McWilliams
Canton’s Tyler Frazier
West Hancock’s Lewis Siegfried
Quincy Notre Dame’s Alex Dance
Mendon Unity’s Chloe Shaffer
Western’s Casen Tobias
Palmyra’s Clare Williams
Payson Seymour’s Ella Archer
Palmyra’s Mason Smith
Sports
Track & Field Hosting Elm City Classic to Begin Indoor Season
Waterville, Maine – The Colby Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams are ready to kickoff the 2025-26 indoor season hosting the Elm City Classic beginning Friday, December 4th and concluding the following day Saturday, December 5th. On top of the two-day event, distance runners will also compete at Boston Univerisity’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on that Saturday.
In the Elm City Classic, the Mules will compete alongside Thomas, UMaine – Farmington, and Saint Joseph’s with some individuals from the University of Southern Maine.
Head Track & Field Coach Dave Cusano will once again lead the team now entering his 11th season with the Mules. He is assisted by Troy Irvine who has been with the team since the 2019-2020 season. The Track & Field distance runners will be led by Head Coach Jared Beers ’01 in his 21st season coming off an excellent cross country campaign. Beers is assisted by Seth Hasty who joined the program this fall.
Colby Track & Field is coming off a historic year, claiming two NCAA Division III National Championship titles with the women’s indoor 4x400m relay and Levi Biery’s outdoor 400m hurdles performance. 11 individuals were added to the All-American board combined from the indoor and outdoor seasons. As a group the Mules totaled a whopping 22 new school records which they will look to break once again this season.
The annual Elm City Classic will begin at 4:00pm Friday afternoon and continue on Saturday starting at 10:00am. Fans can follow alongside the action using the live video (Saturday only) and live results links as well as check out the schedule tab to catch the Mules when they come to a location near you.
Sports
Watch Wisconsin volleyball in NCAA tournament tonight; time, TV
Dec. 4, 2025, 11:46 a.m. CT
The surging Wisconsin volleyball team begins its NCAA tournament run in a familiar and comfortable setting.
The third-seeded Badgers play Eastern Illinois in a first-round match on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the UW Field House. It’ll follow the matchup between the Texas-El Paso and North Carolina.
As a top-four seed, it’s the seventh straight year, not counting the 2020 COVID season, that coach Kelly Sheffield’s team is hosting the first two rounds of the tournament. And that means good things.
Wisconsin hasn’t lost in these rounds at home during this stretch and is 28-2 all-time at the UW Field House in the NCAA tournament. Overall, for the last 12 seasons under Sheffield, the Badgers have advanced out of the opening weekend and into the regional semifinals every year.
Watch Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois on ESPN+The Badgers (24-4), who lost in the reginal finals last season to Nebraska, are also playing their best volleyball of the season over the last month. Since a loss to the No. 1 Huskers on Oct. 31, Wisconsin has won its last nine matches, seven of them sweeps. The Badgers will be playing in their 29th NCAA tournament.
Eastern Illinois (24-7), the Ohio Valley Conference champion, is making just its third trip to the tournament, but the second in three years. And the Panthers are getting familiar with teams from Wisconsin in the tournament. They lost in the first round to Marquette two years ago.
Here’s how to watch and listen to the Wisconsin-Eastern Illinois match in the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament:
What channel is Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois on tonight? TV, livestream
Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois time tonight
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
- Time: It’s 30 minutes after the 4:30 p.m. first-round match between Texas-El Paso and North Carolina
How can I listen to Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois on the radio?
Wisconsin NCAA volleyball tournament schedule
Here’s the schedule for the NCAA volleyball tournament if the Badgers win:
- Dec. 5: Second-round match at UW Field House, 7 p.m. CT
- Dec. 11-14: Regional semifinals and finals at highest-seeded teams, dates and times TBD
- Dec. 18: National semifinals at Kansas City, Missouri
- Dec. 21: National championship match at Kansas City, Missouri
Wisconsin volleyball bracket
Here are the top eight seeds in the Badgers’ region and their first-round opponents. The top four seeds host first- and second-round matches. If the seeds hold after the first two rounds, Wisconsin will play second-seeded Stanford in the regional semifinals.
- Texas, vs. Florida A&M
- Stanford, vs. Utah Valley
- Wisconsin, vs. Eastern Illinois
- Indiana, vs. Toledo
- Colorado, vs. American
- UTEP, vs. North Carolina
- South Dakota State, vs. Arizona
- Penn State, vs. South Florida
2025 NCAA tournament bracket
Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas and Pittsburgh are the No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
Here’s the full bracket of the NCAA volleyball tournament
Sports
Wride sisters highlighted as Beaver women’s track and field picked 11th
MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State women’s track and field team was picked to finish 11th at the NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships later this winter, as the NSIC released its 2025-26 NSIC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches’ Poll today.
The NSIC also named its Preseason Track and Field Athletes of the Year, and highlighted track and field athletes to watch this season from each team, with Minot State sisters Bailey and Afton Wride being named the Beavers’ track and Beavers’ field athletes to watch, respectively.
“The women’s team should have a nice balance across the sprints, middle distance, jumps, and throws to be competitive at the conference level,” Minot State head coach Jordan Aus said. “We have some upperclassmen with a lot of experience that should be competing at the top of the conference in their respective events.
“I look forward to watching the hard work pay off for this group.”
Minot State, which received 64 points in the poll, opens the indoor season this weekend, competing Saturday at the Mike Thorson Open hosted by the University of Mary. The NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be hosted by Minnesota State, Mankato, on February 28 and March 1.
The host Mavericks were picked to win their 7th straight indoor title.
Two-time NSIC indoor champion Bailey Wride was named the track athlete to watch for the Beavers as the junior from Kalispell, Montana, won the 600 meters in 2024, and the 1,000 meters in 2025.
“Bailey is the returning indoor conference champ in the 1,000 meters, and she will look to continue to be at the top of the conference in the middle-distance events,” Aus said. “Bailey has put in the work this fall and she is ready to have another strong season in the middle-distance events.”
Her younger sister, Afton, a sophomore, was named the Beavers’ field athlete to watch and comes in holding the No. 2 mark in Minot State’s NCAA era in the indoor triple jump (35 feet, 11.25 inches). Afton also was ninth in the triple jump at the NSIC Outdoor Championships last spring with a mark of 37-0.5.
“Afton is coming off a strong outdoor track season in which she made the finals in the triple jump at the conference meet,” Aus said. “She should continue to build off of her strong freshman season and should look to be very competitive at the conference level in the triple jump.”
While the Mavericks were a heavy favorite to win the NSIC title with 14 first-place votes and 196 points, Mary was picked 2nd with one first-place vote and 181 points.
Augustana was picked 3rd with 164 points, Winona State 4th with 150 points, Sioux Falls 5th with 147 points, Northern State 6th with 135 points, Minnesota Duluth 7th with 125 points, Minnesota State Moorhead 8th with 92 points, Southwest Minnesota State 9th with 79 points, Concordia-St. Paul 10th with 68 points, Minot State 11th with 64 points, Bemidji State and Wayne State tied for 12th with 56 points, Jamestown was 14th with 37 points, and St. Cloud State was 15th with 27 points.
Minnesota State’s senior sprinter and hurdler Ashanti Harvey, an NCAA All-American in the 100-meter hurdles outdoors last season, was named the NSIC Track Preseason Athlete of the Year, and the Mavericks’ senior All-American pentathlete, Miranda Lauvstad, was named the NSIC Field Preseason Athlete of the Year.
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS |
| 1 | Minnesota State (14) | 196 |
| 2 | Mary (1) | 181 |
| 3 | Augustana | 164 |
| 4 | Winona State | 150 |
| 5 | Sioux Falls | 147 |
| 6 | Northern State | 135 |
| 7 | Minnesota Duluth | 125 |
| 8 | Minnesota State Moorhead | 92 |
| 9 | Southwest Minnesota State | 79 |
| 10 | Concordia-St. Paul | 68 |
| 11 | Minot State | 64 |
| t12 | Bemidji State | 56 |
| t12 | Wayne State | 56 |
| 14 | Jamestown | 37 |
| 15 | St. Cloud State | 27 |
Sports
Lions announce 2025-26 Track and Field Schedule
COMMERCE – East Texas A&M University has released the 2025-26 track and field schedule on Thursday morning, the first season for the Lions as full members of NCAA Division I.
The Lions are slated to take part in four indoor meets before the Southland Conference Championships and then take part in the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in the Division I era. The outdoor season sees the Lions participate in six meets prior to the postseason, which includes the SLC Championships, the NCAA West Regional Championships, and the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The first meet of the year comes on January 16 at the Owen Hewett Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma, hosted by Oklahoma. The next two meets for the Lions are in College Station with the Ted Nelson Invitational on January 23-24 and then Charlie Thomas Invitational on February 6-7.
The final meet before the conference championships during the indoor portion of the schedule is the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on February 25.
The Southland Indoor Championships return to Birmingham, Alabama, on February 25-26. The top qualifiers around the country will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships, which take place on March 13-14 in Fayetteville.
The Lions begin the outdoor season on March 20-21 at the TCU Alumni Invite in Fort Worth. The annual trip down I-35 is next as the Texas Relays take place in Austin on April 1-4 and the Bobcat Invitational is held in San Marcos on April 2-4.
Another trip down to College Station is next for the 44 Farms Team Invitational on April 9-11, followed by the J. Fred Duckett Twilight on April 25 in Houston, and the final regular season outdoor meet comes on May 8 at the Arkansas Twilight in Fayetteville.
The Southland Outdoor Championships are hosted by SFA in Nacogdoches this year on May 14-16.
Top qualifiers in the western half of the country following the conference championships will advance to the NCAA West Regional Championships in Fayetteville on May 27-30, with the best performers punching their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships held at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on June 10-13.
2025-26 LION TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
| DATE | MEET | LOCATION | HOST INSTITUTION |
| Jan. 16 | Owen Hewett Invitational | Norman, Okla. | Oklahoma |
| Jan. 23-24 | Ted Nelson Invitational | College Station | Texas A&M |
| Feb. 6-7 | Charlie Thomas Invitational | College Station | Texas A&M |
| Feb. 20 | Arkansas Qualifier | Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas |
| Feb. 25-26 | SLC Indoor Championships | Birmingham, Ala. | Southland Conference |
| March 13-14 | NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark. | NCAA |
| March 20-21 | TCU Alumni Invite | Fort Worth | TCU |
| April 1-4 | Texas Relays | Austin | Texas |
| April 2-4 | Bobcat Invitational | San Marcos | Texas State |
| April 9-11 | 44 Farms Team Invitational | College Station | Texas A&M |
| April 25 | J. Fred Duckett Twilight | Houston | Rice |
| May 8 | Arkansas Twilight | Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas |
| May 14-16 | SLC Outdoor Championships | Nacogdoches | Southland Conference |
| May 27-30 | NCAA West Regional Championships | Fayetteville, Ark. | NCAA |
| June 10-13 | NCAA Outdoor Championships | Eugene, Ore. | NCAA |
-ETAMU-
Sports
WSU Track Heads to Boston Opener
BOSTON, Mass. – Washington State Track will start its indoor season at the Boston Opener on Saturday, December 6th. The meet will be held at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center. The four runners for each team will look to start the year strong against the elite field competing at this event.
Evans Kurui, Solomon Kipchoge will race in the Men’s Elite 5k at 3 pm ET, 12 pm PT. Kutoven Stevens will compete in the Men’s 5000-meter race at 7:10 pm ET, 4:10 pm PT. Zenah Cheptoo, Rosemary Longisa, Nicole Bissell, and Caroline Jepkorir will race in the Women’s 3k at 1 pm ET, 10 am PT. Zenah will also run in the Women’s 5k race beginning at 4:30 pm ET, 1:30 pm PT.
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the door or in advance on the Boston University website.
For up-to-date information, follow WSU Track and Field on social media.
Sports
This Week in WAC Volleyball – NCAA Tournament
WAC VB25 Release – NCAA Tournament
UTAH VALLEY CAPTURES THE 2025 WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT TITLE IN THRILLING FASHION
No. 1 Utah Valley claimed the 2025 WAC Volleyball Tournament trophy after defeating No. 2 Utah Tech in a five-set showdown (25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 21-25, 15-6). This was Utah Valley’s third WAC Tournament title and its first since going back-to-back in the Spring and Fall 2021 seasons. The Wolverines advanced to the tournament championship match after sweeping No. 4 Abilene Christian 3-0 in the semifinal match.
THE WOLVERINES HEAD TO STANFORD
Utah Valley received the conference’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament and will take on No. 2 Stanford on December 5 at 7 p.m. PT at the Maples Pavilion in Stanford, California. The winner of the match will face the winner of No. 7 South Dakota State and Arizona. This will be the first time the Wolverines will play in the NCAA Tournament since the Fall 2021 season.
AVERY PAGE NAMED WAC TOURNAMENT MOP
The WAC Player of the Year, Avery Page, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after compiling a season-high 22 kills along with 17 digs and five total blocks for 24.5 points in the championship match. Page notched eight kills, seven digs, one ace and one block in UVU’s sweep over Abilene Christian.
UVU’S CHISM AND WOODEN JOIN PAGE ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Joining Page on the All-Tournament team from Utah Valley was Bella Wooden and Evalyn Chism. Wooden collected 10 kills in the championship match and led the team with 10 total blocks, accounting for three of the Wolverines’ four solo blocks. Chism tallied a season-high in both assists (54) and digs (21), leading the team in both statistics. Rounding out the All-Tournament Team were Utah Tech’s Nana Asiata, Marley Roe, Tessa Treanor and Abilene Christian’s Hannah Gonzalez.
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