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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. […]

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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.

Australian surfers Josh and Sierra Kerr ride along the sand at Greenmount Beach, CoolangattaView image in fullscreen

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 and Sierra Kerr look out at the water at Greenmount Beach in QueenslandView image in fullscreen

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.”

Josh and Sierra Kerr will both be competing in the WSL Challenger seriesView image in fullscreen

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.

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River Radamus has unfinished business at the Winter Olympics

Part of leading by example, Radamus’s elevated strength training comes with a purpose.  Recently, Radamus’s status on the world stage has improved, the biggest moment coming in February 2024 on the FIS World Cup circuit. On home soil at Palisades Tahoe in California, Radamus had the best giant slalom run of his international career, clinching […]

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Part of leading by example, Radamus’s elevated strength training comes with a purpose. 

Recently, Radamus’s status on the world stage has improved, the biggest moment coming in February 2024 on the FIS World Cup circuit. On home soil at Palisades Tahoe in California, Radamus had the best giant slalom run of his international career, clinching a podium spot in the giant slalom and finishing the race to the roar of cheering Americans. At the bottom of the slope, Radamus had a major reaction, letting out a few yells, a couple of fist pumps and spiking his ski pole like a touchdown celebration.

In the following 2024-25 World Cup campaign, Radamus characterized his season as full of change, including physical alterations, new coaches and skiing philosophies. Though Radamus did not land on the podium, he earned similar World Cup points from season to season, with the most coming from giant slalom events, followed by the super-G.

During the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach, Radamus became ill and lost around 10 pounds before the events. Still managing to ski through the physical and mental toll of the illness, he got sick again after worlds, losing a total of 30 pounds toward the end of the season.

“If you judge performance on that and judge yourself as falling short because of something that’s outside of your control, that takes a toll monumentally and keeps you from reaching high athletic performance,” Radamus said. “I think I take pride in the effort I gave.”

Between skiing in all the events from downhill to slalom and the two illnesses, Radamus’s body suffered a physical toll. Now, he has time to regain the weight; his current goal is to gain 20 pounds of muscle mass, which will help increase his base strength, a key factor in the change Radamus aims to make in his skiing philosophy. 

During the two spring camps the U.S. team had at Mammoth and Copper, Radamus emphasized a new method of approaching turns with a stronger base, letting his natural finesse do the rest of the work through the turns. He has been known as a skier with natural flow, usually letting the skis do the work by throwing them toward the fall line. Now, slowly is introducing this method to be stronger and more commanding during turns to increase speed and control from the start.

With this new methodology to his skiing applied, along with his rigorous physical transformation, Radamus is doing everything he can to be in a position to reach the Olympic podium in 2026. He hopes that the process of achieving personal and team goals will make the results fall into place. Like many U.S. skiers before him, Radamus believes in his abilities as a big-event skier to win, which he’s proven in his youth, the 2022 Winter Games and on the World Cup stage.

So while Radamus may not have a life at the moment, he uses his intense fear of failure as a motivator to keep him focused every day. Before training, Radamus had some time after the season to run youth ski camps organized by his ARCO foundation, which works to make the competitive sport more accessible to youth. Now, he’s back to the lab to accomplish his goals, and he is enjoying the process.

“I’ve really come into this summer thinking I cannot forgive myself if I don’t do everything I possibly can to put myself in the best position,” Radamus said. “It’s my absolute responsibility to myself to seek that out and see if I can accomplish it. I feel great about where I am.”



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ESPN Tops Digital and Social Rankings in June

– Advertisement – ESPN once again flexed its dominance across digital and social platforms in June, reaching a staggering 193.6 million unique fans, according to the latest data from Comscore. The network’s total digital reach equated to 69.1% of all U.S. adults—nearly 7 out of every 10—cementing ESPN as the top-performing sports media brand across […]

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– Advertisement –Jim Cutler VoicesoversJim Cutler Voicesovers

ESPN once again flexed its dominance across digital and social platforms in June, reaching a staggering 193.6 million unique fans, according to the latest data from Comscore. The network’s total digital reach equated to 69.1% of all U.S. adults—nearly 7 out of every 10—cementing ESPN as the top-performing sports media brand across digital for the month.

The total audience figure includes fans reached through ESPN Digital, YouTube, and social platforms. The continued surge in digital traffic marks another milestone in the network’s push to expand beyond traditional television and into the ever-evolving world of mobile and social content consumption.

In the mobile space, the ESPN app attracted 25.7 million unique fans in June, outpacing its closest competitor more than sevenfold and eclipsing the combined total of the next nine non-ESPN sports apps. ESPN Fantasy also performed strongly with 2.6 million unique fans, earning the No. 1 spot among all fantasy sports apps, up 8% year-over-year.

Social engagement was another major highlight, with ESPN Social notching 555 million fan interactions across platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok. That figure averages out to 18.5 million engagements per day, extending ESPN’s streak to 48 consecutive months as the top sports brand in social media interactions.

The continued strength in digital and social performance is a testament to ESPN’s evolving content strategy, which emphasizes real-time engagement, mobile-first experiences, and multi-platform storytelling.

As the network prepares for the upcoming NFL and college football seasons, its robust digital footprint puts it in a strong position to dominate fan engagement across every screen. Whether through breaking news, fantasy tools, or viral content, ESPN’s numbers show it remains the go-to source for sports fans in the digital era.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.



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Four Crimson Set for 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships

Story Links CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard track & field will once again feature heavily in a high profile competition, as four former and current Crimson will travel to Eugene, Oregon for the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. Action begins on Thursday, July 31st and concludes on Sunday, Aug. 3. Hayward […]

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard track & field will once again feature heavily in a high profile competition, as four former and current Crimson will travel to Eugene, Oregon for the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. Action begins on Thursday, July 31st and concludes on Sunday, Aug. 3. Hayward Field will host all the action as Harvard fans can watch live on NBC and Peacock.

One of the most decorated female athletes in United States track & field history, Gabby Thomas ’19 will compete in a pair of events at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Thomas begins her weekend with the first round of the 100m on Thursday, July 31 at 7:07 p.m. eastern standard time. The women’s 100m semifinal begins at 7:20 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 1 while the final starts at 10:27 p.m. EST later that evening. The 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist in the women’s 200m, Thomas will also run the 200m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. The women’s 200m semifinal will run on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 3:32 p.m. EST as the final starts later that day at 5:13 p.m. EST.

Thomas cemented her legacy last summer, winning three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A native of Northampton, Massachusetts, Thomas took home gold in the women’s 200m at the Stade de France with France, following it up with golds in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Thomas is only the second American in Olympic to win gold in the 200m, 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay at the same Olympic Games.

Two Crimson All-Americans will run the women’s 800m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, as junior Sophia Gorriaran and Victoria Bossong ’25 will represent Harvard in the event. The women’s 800m first round starts at 6:37 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 31, with the semifinal starting at 7:01 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 1. The women’s 800m final is scheduled for 4:18 p.m. EST on Sunday, Aug. 3.

Both Bossong and Gorriaran shined in the 800m at the collegiate level last season. The Ivy League record holder in the women’s 800m with a time of 1:59.48, Bossong finished in second in the 800m at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning All-America First Team honors in the process. A native of Cumberland Foreside, Maine, Bossong finished in ninth in the women’s 800m to take All-America Second Team honors to conclude her collegiate career.

A four-time All-American in the 800m across both indoor and outdoor competition, Gorriaran made strides in her second campaign with the Crimson. Gorriaran ran a personal-best 2:00.46 in the 800m at the NCAA East First Round and took home an Ivy League title in the 800m at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.

Two-time NCAA men’s cross country champion Graham Blanks ’25 is poised to run in a pair of distance events. Blanks starts his time at Hayward Field with the men’s 10,000m at 11:08 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 31st, followed by the men’s 5000m on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 4:52 p.m. EST.

A household name in American distance running, Blanks orchestrated a one-of-a-kind collegiate career, becoming the first student-athlete in Ivy League history to win a NCAA national title in men’s cross country and the 13th student-athlete in NCAA history to win consecutive NCAA men’s cross country national titles. Before he turned pro with New Balance, Blanks become the second student-athlete in NCAA history to run sub-13 minutes in the men’s 5000m, meeting the World Championships standard with a time of 12:59.89.

CRIMSON SCHEDULE:

Thursday, July 31st

3:37 p.m. PST / 6:37 p.m. EST – Women’s 800m First Round (Victoria Bossong and Sophia Gorriaran)

4:07 p.m. PST / 7:07 p.m. EST – Women’s 100m First Round (Gabby Thomas)

8:08 p.m. PST / 11:08 p.m. EST – Men’s 10,000m Final (Graham Blanks)

Friday, August 1st

4:01 p.m. PST / 7:01 p.m. EST – Women’s 800m Semifinal (Victoria Bossong and Sophia Gorriaran)

4:20 p.m. PST / 7:20 p.m. EST – Women’s 100m Semifinal (Gabby Thomas)

7:27 p.m. PST / 10:27 p.m. PST – Women’s 100m Final (Gabby Thomas)

Sunday, August 3rd

 12:32 p.m. PST / 3:32 p.m. EST – Women’s 200m Semifinal (Gabby Thomas)

1:18 p.m. PST / 4:18 p.m. EST – Women’s 800m Final (Victoria Bossong and Sophia Gorriaran)

1:52 p.m. PST / 4:52 p.m. EST – Men’s 5000m Final (Graham Blanks)

2:13 p.m. PST / 5:13 p.m. EST – Women’s 200m Final (Gabby Thomas)

For complete coverage of Harvard Track & Field, follow us on Twitter (@HarvardTFXC) and Instagram (@harvardtfxc).

 





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Prison for ex-volleyball coach at Twin Cities high school who sexually assaulted player

A former volleyball coach at St. Paul Como Park Senior High School has received a seven-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting one of his players. Keng Cha, 31, of St. Paul was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the encounters […]

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A former volleyball coach at St. Paul Como Park Senior High School has received a seven-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting one of his players.

Keng Cha, 31, of St. Paul was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the encounters while he coached at Como Park.

With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Cha, is expected to serve about 4¾ years in prison and the balance of his term on supervised release.

Police went to the high school and met with a 15-year-old girl who said she and Cha, her B-squad volleyball coach, had sex four times from October 2022 to September 2023 at various locations including in the school’s back parking lot.

She said the intercourse occurred in his vehicle either behind the school or one time in October 2022 when he picked her up at her house and drove to a spot near a lake.

As officers were speaking to the girl in the school office area, Cha was with the athletic director in the school being fired and at the same time texting her, “Why haven’t you been coming to games?” and “Did you say anything to anyone about us?” Officers found Cha and arrested him.

Cha told police his relationship with the girl progressed to him sexually assaulting her anywhere from two to four times including in December 2022 in Battle Creek Park in St. Paul and the last time in his car near her house.



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Notre Dame Athletics Launches Yearlong Celebration of Women's Sports

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In recognition of 50 years of women’s varsity athletics at the University of Notre Dame, the University announced on July 30, 2025 that it will launch the “Cheer Her Name” initiative to celebrate all the individuals who have and continue to contribute to the remarkable success of our women’s programs. Throughout the […]

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Notre Dame Athletics Launches Yearlong Celebration of Women's Sports

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In recognition of 50 years of women’s varsity athletics at the University of Notre Dame, the University announced on July 30, 2025 that it will launch the “Cheer Her Name” initiative to celebrate all the individuals who have and continue to contribute to the remarkable success of our women’s programs.

Throughout the course of the 2025-26 academic year, Notre Dame Athletics plans to shine a spotlight on the history and accomplishments of its women’s varsity sports programs and to engage with key stakeholders through special campus events, connecting student-athletes, alumni and fans.

“We are excited to launch this yearlong celebration of our women’s athletic programs at the University,” said University vice president and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua. “I am looking forward to meeting and celebrating many of our past student-athletes from the past five decades over the next year and hope that this provides increased growth and exposure to our women’s programs at Notre Dame.”

The highlighted celebration of the year will take place on campus during the weekend of September 19-21 when Notre Dame Football hosts Purdue. An invitation was extended to all female former student-athletes and others who have supported Notre Dame women’s sports, to return to campus to be recognized and celebrated. A full calendar of weekend events includes the opportunity to attend several social and athletic events, including a Friday night reception followed by the Notre Dame Volleyball match vs. Michigan. An enhanced focus on the past and present accomplishments of Notre Dame Women’s Athletics will continue throughout the year.

Notre Dame currently has 13 women’s athletic programs. After the establishment of tennis in 1976, Notre Dame has added fencing, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming and diving, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, indoor and outdoor track and field, lacrosse, and rowing through the years.  In addition to numerous individual national titles, Fighting Irish women’s teams have won 16 national championships in fencing, soccer, and basketball. In the fall of 2022, the Notre Dame Monogram Club presented more than 250 honorary monograms to both the founders of the Women’s Athletic Association and the women who competed for Notre Dame during the first five years of coeducation between 1972-77.

If you are interested in contributing to the future success of Notre Dame’s athletics, including our women’s varsity athletic programs, please click here to learn more.

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Four Jayhawks to Compete at USATF Outdoor Championships

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field will be represented by four Jayhawks at the 2025 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from July 31 to August 3.   Among the Jayhawks competing at the USATF Championships are Bryce Hoppel (men’s 800 meters), Honour Finley (women’s 800 meters), […]

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field will be represented by four Jayhawks at the 2025 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from July 31 to August 3.
 
Among the Jayhawks competing at the USATF Championships are Bryce Hoppel (men’s 800 meters), Honour Finley (women’s 800 meters), Ashton Barkdull (men’s pole vault) and Mason Meinershagen (women’s pole vault).
 
Essence Henderson and Rachel Dincoff train with Kansas Associate Head Coach – Throws Doug Reynolds and will compete in the women’s discus.
 
Fans can watch all of the action on NBC live and on demand or on USATF.tv.
 
Hoppel is a three-time USA Outdoor Champion in the 800 meters, winning the event in three consecutive years, beginning in 2022. Hoppel became the first American since Nicholas Symmonds (2010-12) to win three-straight USATF titles in the 800 meters. Hoppel went on to finish fourth at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, with a personal best 1:41.67 in the 800 meters, setting the American record. Hoppel is coached by Kansas assistant head coach of cross country/assistant coach distance and middle distance, Michael Whittlesey. Hoppel will compete in the first round of the men’s 800 meters on Thursday, July 31 with finals slated for Sunday, August 3.
 

In the women’s 800 meters, the Jayhawks will be represented by Finley, who serves as an assistant coach – distance for Kansas track & field and cross country and was an accomplished middle (?) distance runner for the Jayhawks from 2018-22. Finley was a six-time All-American while at KU, including winning the 2018 Big 12 Indoor Championships in the women’s 4×400 meter relay. Finley trains with Kansas track & field head coach Stanley Redwine.
 
Finley went on to compete for Team USA at the 2023 Pan-American Games in Santiago, Chile. Finley will open up competition in the women’s 800 meters on Thursday, July 31 with finals scheduled for Sunday, August 3.
 
Kansas will be represented by two current Jayhawks in the men’s and women’s pole vault, as Barkdull recently finished as the runner-up in the men’s pole vault at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, while Meinershagen returns to Eugene after competing in the 2024 Olympic Trials. Both Barkdull and Meinershagen are coached by associate head coach/general manager – vertical jumps, Tom Hays.
 
Barkdull will compete in the men’s pole vault finals on Saturday, August 2 at 2:50 p.m., while Meinershagen competes on Sunday, August 3 at 2 p.m.
 

For a full listing of Jayhawks competing at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, see below. Follow Kansas track & field on social media for live updates.
 
Schedule of Events (All Times Central)
 
Thursday, July 31
4:55 p.m. – Bryce Hoppel, Men’s 800 Meters First Round
5:21 p.m. – Honour Finley, Women’s 800 Meters First Round
 
Friday, August 1
6:42 p.m. – Bryce Hoppel, Men’s 800 Meters Semifinals*
7:04 p.m. – Honour Finley, Women’s 800 Meters Semifinals*
 
Saturday, August 2
2:50 p.m. – Ashton Barkdull, Men’s Pole Vault Final
 
Sunday, August 3
2 p.m. – Mason Meinershagen, Women’s Pole Vault Final
3:18 p.m. – Honour Finley, Women’s 800 Meters Final*
3:26 p.m. – Bryce Hoppel, Men’s 800 Meters Final*
 
*Must qualify



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