Sports
Sierra and Josh Kerr

Sierra Kerr’s qualification for the Challenger series, the second-tier of international surfing and pathway to the World Surf League, has been long foretold. Kerr, who recently turned 18, was a child surf prodigy; it was just a matter of time before the Australian – a former junior world champion – started climbing the competitive ladder.
Less foreseen was what happened late last month, when the final qualifying event wrapped up and the 2025 Challenger series field was announced. Alongside Kerr on the list of surfers contesting the five-stop, five-country competition was none other than her father, Josh Kerr.
Now 41, Kerr senior enjoyed a successful career on the WSL in the early 2010s, finishing in the top 10 for four consecutive years. An early pioneer of aerial surfing (he even has an above the lip manoeuvre – the Kerrupt – named after him), Kerr retired from the professional circuit in the late 2010s. But as he travelled the world with his daughter while she competed in recent years, Kerr decided he might as well join in. “If I’m at the party I may as well dance,” he said last month.
Sierra and Josh Kerr are hard to pin down. A busy travel schedule, surf competitions, illness and a cyclone all delayed their conversation with the Guardian. When the stars finally aligned, it took place with the WSL’s current leg, the El Salvador Pro, on television in the background. This is a family that live and breathe surfing.
Sierra made her WSL debut with a wildcard in Fiji last year and keeps a watchful eye on the current campaign. Several of her closest friends are competitors and, pending qualification through the Challenger series, she will join them at surfing’s top table full-time next year.
“Last year I wasn’t super wanting to qualify because I always wanted to finish high school before I do it,” Sierra says. “I want to get on and start competing with all of my friends – Bettylou [Sakura Johnson], Caity [Simmers, the defending world champion], Molly [Picklum]. I want to see how I stack up against them and surf some good waves.”
Josh, on the other hand, is very much taking a back-seat. “Honestly, it’s still just fun and games for me,” he laughs. When the competition “rashie” is on, Josh says, he will be wanting to win – but there will be no elite athlete diets or gruelling training regimes for him. Kerr senior harbours no aspirations of a WSL return – although it is not beyond the realms of possibility (surf legend Kelly Slater was competing on the tour into his 50s).
“That would be pretty mental,” Sierra says with a laugh at the idea of joining the WSL with her father in tow. “I don’t know if he’s gunning for it, but that would be sick.” Josh is quick to downplay the possibility. “Let’s just see if I can still mix it up,” he adds.

The prospect of Josh – one of the best surfers in the world a decade and a half ago – competing with surfers half his age, the next generation of stars, will certainly make for great viewing when the Challenger series kicks off in Newcastle in June. But Josh shrugs off any suggestion that his rivals in the water might be intimidated. “I don’t know if they know who I am,” he says. “I’ve been off tour for seven years, and all of these guys are between 17 and 21. I think they just see me as Sierra’s dad.”
Not surprisingly, given her father’s career, Sierra has grown up around sport. In an Instagram post to celebrate her 18th birthday in February, Josh commented: “from ballerina classes to skateboarding, golf, rugby, fishing, surfing and everything else in between, I’ve loved being right by your side.” But it was not until Sierra hit her teenager years that surfing came to the fore (she had initially been touted as a skateboarding prodigy).
It was a trip to Indonesia that changed her sporting direction. Just 13, the Kerrs took Sierra on a surf trip alongside some of her young friends – Simmers, Bella Kenworthy (a WSL debutant this year), Erin Brooks (who joined Sierra as a WSL wildcard in Fiji last year and won the event, at just 17). “There were heaps of the crew there, it was just so fun – pushing each other,” she says. “That was the trip where I thought: ‘This is pretty fun, I want to keep doing this’.”

Josh says that he did not want to encourage Sierra into competitive surfing, and risk jeopardising its lifestyle role for her and the family. “Surfing was always there for her in the background, as she focused on other sports,” he says. “I didn’t want surfing to be a ‘sport’ for her, until she wanted it to be.”
The parent-child dynamic in sport can be fraught; there are countless examples of over-expecting parents pushing their children to breaking point. Josh admits that he is no stranger to these challenging dynamics. “I watch it, on the sidelines,” he says. “But I just try and be a father, first and foremost, and enjoy the experience.” Josh serves as Sierra’s coach, but says he tries to keep it relatively light-touch.
“Surfing has given me everything in my life – so it’s very special to me, as a past-time, a lifestyle,” Josh says. “I want Sierra, no matter what happens with her surfing career, to still want to surf every day and enjoy the ocean.”
Sierra comes of age at a thrilling time for women’s surfing. Equal prize money, an integrated calendar and rapid advances in skill, in both heavy barrels and high-flying aerial maneuverers, have helped transform the sport.
“It’s a great time to be coming up through the ranks,” says Sierra, in a slight American twang – inherited from her time living in California, before the Kerrs returned to the Gold Coast, and her American mother, Nikki Kerr. “All of my friends – we’re just trying to push the level of those who came before us, try to take it to a level that’s never been seen before, and set the standard for the next generation.”

There is a certain continuity in Sierra being among an era-defining generation of young female surfers, changing the nature of the sport, just as her father helped forge the aerial surfing that is now commonplace on the WSL. “To see [Sierra] be at the forefront of that, the innovative surfing on the female side, it’s been pretty amazing to watch,” Josh says. “That’s the most interesting thing in surfing right now – watching the development of the female side, watching them break down all those barriers.”
His daughter’s love of surfing has certainly proven fortuitous for Josh. “She’s basically my best friend, my partner in crime,” he says. “She’s my jet ski partner when the waves come good, she’s a great ski driver [surfers use jet-skis to be towed into waves in big conditions].”
At some point, once Sierra is firmly established on the WSL, she might want more independence than the father-coach combo offers. Josh, for his part, talks of retirement to a yacht and occasional visits from his high-flying daughter. But for now, the Kerrs remain inseparable. “Dad always says until I kick him out, he’ll be there,” Sierra says. Come the Challenger series, Kerr senior will be there competing alongside his daughter. The past, present and future of surfing, in one father-daughter duo.
Sports
Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener
BOSTON, Mass. — Regis College men’s track and field kicked off their indoor season today at the Reggie Lewis Center, competing in the Suffolk Relays and setting two new program records.
Senior Brady Elliot (Charlestown, N.H.) made an impressive debut for the Pride, placing second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 1.85 meters, establishing a new indoor program record. Elliot also competed in the long jump, finishing 12th with a distance of 6.06 meters. Joseph Doughty (Woburn, Mass.) added a seventh-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters.
Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) earned three top-ten finishes. His best came in the shot put, where he took third with throw of 12.82 meters to set a new personal best. Thuotte also placed fifth in the long jump, setting a new indoor program record with a leap of 6.65 meters, and finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.28 meters. Ryan Sweeney (Lynn, Mass.) joined Thuotte on the shot put leaderboard, finishing fourth with a toss of 12.65 meters. Sweeney also set a personal best in the weight throw with an 11.28 meter toss.
Jalen Jones (Everett, Mass.) claimed fifth place in the triple jump with a mark of 11.94 meters. Meanwhile, DJ Marks (Medford, Mass.) and Luc Willems (Belchertown, Mass.) rounded out the top ten finishers in the high jump and men’s 1000m, respectively. Marks cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump, and Willems crossed the line in 3:18.18 in the 1000-meter run.
In the men’s 1600 sprint medley relay, the team of Zach Olaywole (Marlborough, Mass.), Jones, Elliot, and Nathan Thomas (Medford, Mass.) finished 13th overall with a time of 4:13.28.
The Pride will quickly turn around as they head to UMass Boston tomorrow for the Beacon Season Opener.
Sports
No. 25 Women’s Volleyball Falls to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round – Penn State
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 25 Penn State’s 45th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the second round Saturday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19) loss to No. 3 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions close the season at 19-13 overall, while the Longhorns move on with a record of 25-3.
The loss snapped Penn State’s seven-match NCAA Tournament winning streak, which included six victories on the way to last year’s national title. The Nittany Lions remain second in the nation with eight national titles, trailing only Stanford’s nine.
Kennedy Martin tallied 16 kills for Penn State and has now recorded double-digit kills for the 83rd-consecutive match when she plays at least three sets. Caroline Jurevicius finished with seven kills, while Emmi Sellman chipped in with five.
Gillian Grimes wrapped up an outstanding collegiate career with a team-high 11 digs. She leaves Penn State as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, making the first team this season and the second team as a junior last season. She now turns her attention to the pro ranks, where she will play for the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball. Grimes was recently picked by the Mojo in the third round of the MLV Draft.
Torrey Stafford led Texas to the win, hitting .556 with 21 kills. Abby Vander Wal joined her in double-digits with 10 kills, while Cari Spears was next with nine.
Penn State now holds an 11-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas. The teams are knotted at 2-2 in NCAA Tournament matchups against each other.
Saturday’s matchup featured the past three national champions as Texas won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Penn State took home the trophy last season.
The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.
Sports
Men’s Track and Field Starts 2026 Campaign With Strong Showing at Springfield College Season Opener
Springfield, Mass. – December 6, 2025 – The Springfield College men’s track and field team had a strong showing as it hosted the Springfield College Season Opener for the first meet of the season.
Shane Erb (Marion, Iowa) took first place in the mile after finishing with a time of 4:23.30 and was the second place finisher in the 3000-meter run after crossing the finish line at 9:02.42. Erb’s mile time ranks sixth in Division III to start the campaign, while his 3,000-meter time ranks 14th.
Mike Anderson (Cromwell, Conn.) and Isaiah Hannah (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished first and second, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles. Anderson finished with a time of 8.16 to tie his school record he broke just a season ago, while Hannah finished at 8.59. Anderson’s time currently ranks second in Division III this season.
In his debut, Luca Kabel (Merrimack, N.H.) won the 60-meter dash crossing the finish line at 7.04. He also competed in the 200-meter dash where he finished second at 22.58.
Colin Hansen (Ipswich, Mass.) won the 400-meter dash at 50.54 and Seth Twarog (Hubbardston, Mass.) was close behind at 50.70 which was good for a second place finish with both now ranking inside the top-20 nationally to kick off the seaosn. Parker Ruger (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) won the 600-meter run finishing in 1:26.74 while Eli Burt (Topsham, Maine) came in third at 1:29.34 in their first meets for the Pride.
The 4×400-meter relay team of Twarog, Ruger, Hansen, and first-year Caleb March (Hampden, Maine) took the win after crossing the finish line at 3:37.78.
In the field events, Alex McKenney (Ossining, N.Y.) won the pole vault after clearing 4.45-meters (14 feet, 7.25 inches), which currently stands eighth in the country, while Jamil Manu (Manchester, Conn.) claimed second in the high jump after jumping 1.92-meters (6 feet, 3.50 inches).
Martin Nyagilo (Randolph, Mass.) won the shot put with a throw of 15.21-meters (49 feet, 10.75 inches), a mark that ranks sixth in the country early in the season and Peyton Blanchard (Kennebunk, Maine) came in third with a mark of 14.28-meters (47 feet, 2.25 inches). Charles Botelho (Middleboro, Mass.) finished third in the weight throw with mark of 15.01-meters (49.3 feet).
Springfield will await the new year and travel to Tufts on Saturday, January 17 for the Branwen Smith-King Invitational.
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Sports
West Fargo volleyball coach Kelsey Titus resigns after four seasons – InForum
WEST FARGO — West Fargo High School volleyball coach Kelsey Titus has resigned after four seasons guiding the Packers.
West Fargo activities director Justin Behm confirmed the resignation to The Forum late Friday.
In an email to The Forum Saturday, Titus cited family as the primary reason in her decision to step down.
“The main reason is to be more present with my family,” Titus said. “The decision was extremely difficult as I have absolutely loved my time coaching at West Fargo. (Behm) has been an incredible person to work for and with. I am extremely grateful for his support and guidance.
“The decision came after a lot of prayer. My husband is also a (football) coach, and having both of us coaching in the fall — with a very active 7-year-old — has become challenging. As hard as it is to be done, I know that being more involved and present in our son’s activities is where I am supposed to be. I have peace knowing it’s where the Lord wants me to be.”
David Samson/The Forum
Titus took the reins of the West Fargo program ahead of the 2022 season. Over four seasons, she led the Packers to a 96-48 record that included two state tournament appearances and an East Region tournament championship.
The Packers first advanced to state under Titus during her first season in 2022 where the team placed fifth that season. The 2025 campaign was West Fargo’s strongest with Titus at the helm, finishing 28-8 overall to go with a third-place finish at the state tournament and the East Region tournament title — which ended in
a five-set thriller
over crosstown rival West Fargo Sheyenne.
Titus coached three all-conference and all-state players throughout her tenure. Raina Chwialkowski was a four-time all-conference selection under Titus while Ellee McIntosh was named to the all-conference team three times. Olivia Soine was an all-conference player for Titus in 2022.
Chwialkowski was also an all-state selection four times, McIntosh three times and Soine one time. Chwialkowski was named both East Region and Division AA Senior Athlete of the Year in the sport of volleyball this season. She’ll head to NCAA Division I Maryland next season to continue her career while McIntosh will play for North Dakota.
Titus received Division AA Coach of the Year honors this season upon conclusion of the state tournament. West Fargo
defeated Bismarck in five sets
during this year’s Division AA quarterfinals before
falling to Fargo Davies
in the semis. The Packers proceeded to defeat Bismarck Century in five sets in the third-place match.
“The girls have truly bought in to our culture and have been so much fun to work with,” Titus said. “I truly feel blessed to have gotten the chance to coach such wonderful young women. They mean so much to me and my family. This past season was an incredible one for me to witness on and off the court. I am so thankful for the girls and their trust in me and our coaching staff. These girls are truly special and have brought so much joy into the game of volleyball, to each other and to us coaches.”
Titus previously served as an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Jamestown for seven seasons prior to coming to West Fargo. There, she also served as associate athletic director for three years.
A search for Titus’ successor will begin immediately.
“Again, I can’t thank West Fargo High School and Justin Behm enough for the opportunity and the trust they put in me to run the volleyball program the last four years,” Titus said. “I also want to thank my coaching staff — they have become such a huge part of my life and I’m so thankful they chose to do this with me. I will forever be grateful for my time at West Fargo High School. Go Packers.”
Sports
Haugen Sets Norwegian National Record at Youree Spence Garcia Invitational
The Red Storm collected six event wins and 10 top-three finishes. In addition, five Johnnies etched their names on indoor top-10 all-time lists.
On the track, Haugen’s program record is the first to fall at Ocean Breeze this season. Chinenye Josephine Onourah won the 400m in a time of 53.13, which sits number two on the indoor all-time list. St. John’s took first through fifth place in the 400m. Freshman Nia-Ruby Forbes-Agyepong kicked off her Red Storm career with a top five finish in the 60m hurdles, stopping the clock in 8.90.
Both the 4x400m relay and the 4x800m relay quartets crossed the line first. The 4x400m squad finished 10 seconds ahead of second place, while the 4x800m group cruised to a 17 second margin of victory.
In the field, senior Jamora Alves started her indoor campaign with a second place showing in the women’s shot put. Her toss of 14.30m (46ft 11in.) is her second-best season opening mark of her career and gives her another top-10 performance in program history. Linn Hertz Saebbo won the long jump on her final attempt, leaping 6.05m (19ft 10.25in). The mark sits third all-time on the indoor list. Freshman Tatiana Camilo also made the long jump final, with a jump of 5.45m (17ft 10.50in) and Nyla Branche placed second in the high jump with a 1.62m (5ft 3.75in) clearance.
Youree Spence is regarded as one of the greatest track and field athletes in St. John’s history. She is an 11-time BIG EAST Champion and holds three top-10 performances across three disciples. The track and field legend and the meet’s namesake was in attendance, along with several other alumni.
A portion of the team is set to compete next Friday, Dec. 12, back at Ocean Breeze in the Wagner Seahawk Shootout.
Sports
NCAA Tournament: Nebraska vs. Kansas State Volleyball Watch Thread
#1 Nebraska vs. Kansas State
When: Saturday, December 6th, 7:00pm CST
Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE
Both Kansas State and Nebraska won their 1st round matches to create an old Big 12 matchup for Round 2 in Lincoln, NE on Saturday night. Though the Huskers played a little later, they probably have the upper hand tomorrow since they only had to play 3 sets while Kansas State had to battle through 5 tough sets against San Diego earlier on Friday afternoon.
Since the match is less than 24 hours away, you’re only going to get the spark notes version for this Kansas State team and a quick recap of their match against San Diego. Kansas State could be bringing a good amount of fans tomorrow as they are only roughly 2 and half hours from Lincoln.
Kansas State finished the 2025 season going 18-9, 10-8 in conference play, in the Big 12 conference and getting ranked wins against North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado, Baylor, and Iowa State. The Big 12 was one of the most, if not the most, competitive conferences this year putting the most teams in the tournament in 2o25.
The stats get a little rough for K-State if you just look at the record between them and Nebraska. These two teams played their first match against each other in 1975 and the most recent one was in 2023 in the non-conference portion of the season. K-State is 4-81 against the Huskers, all time, with their last win coming in 2011 in the tournament. Nebraska hosted this match.
K-State’s top player, in their match against San Diego, was SR OH Shaylee Myers, who is a Lincoln Southwest graduate. She had 26 kills on 58 swings and hit .328%. She only recorded 7 errors.
RS-JR OH Aniya Clinton was another top Wildcat on Friday night, recording 19 kills in the 5 set match, hitting .304%. She also added 13 digs as well.
MB Jordyn Williams and Setter Ava LeGrand were the top blockers for K-State with Williams blocking 7 balls and LeGrand blocking 6. Brenna Schmidt is the Wildcats’ other middle blocker and she had a pretty good night defensively, but struggled offensively ending in the negatives with 2 kills and 3 errors. Schmidt had 4 assisted blocks and also had 1 of 2 solo blocks. Clinton had the other solo block.
Nebraska will look to continue their hunt for a national championship Saturday night against a Kansas State team that will be hungry to take out the only undefeated team left in D1 volleyball, and the predicted national champion. The match will begin at 7:00pm CST on ESPN+.
#1 Nebraska Cornhuskers (31-0, 20-0 B1G)
Kansas State Wildcats (18-9, 10-8 Big 12)
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