NEW ORLEANS – App State’s Calbert Guest and Arkansas State’s Noa Isaia have earned recognition as Sun Belt Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week after their performances last week. 

Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week

Carlbert Guest, App State

(R-Sr. | Distance | Fort Collins, Colo.)

App State redshirt senior Calbert Guest broke the App State men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase record with a personal best of 8:41.01 at the Penn Relays (April 24-26). He surpassed the previous program record of 8:51.28, which was set in 2022 and finished sixth overall in Thursday’s race. Additionally, the Fort Collins, Colo. native became the first App State men’s distance athlete to qualify for the USATF Championships with his time. Guest leads the Sun Belt, ranks seventh in the NCAA Southeast Region, 15th in the NCAA East Preliminary Qualifying List, and 40th nationally in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase category. Guest also ranks third in the league and 21st in the NCAA Southeast Region in the men’s 10,000-meter category.

Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week

Noa Isaia, Arkansas State

(So. | Throws | Imperial, Mo.)

Arkansas State’s Noa Isaia moved up to third in program history in the hammer throw, winning the event with a toss of 66.22m/217-3 – nearly 11 feet better than the runner-up finisher. Not only that, but he also put together a spectacular series, with four of his six throws besting his previous career-best mark entering the day. His throw is No. 7 in this week’s Top-10 Marks of the Week published by USTFCCCA, and ups his lead in the Sun Belt Conference to 15 feet in the event. He enters the week ranked 18th in the NCAA West Region and 31st in the NCAA regardless of region.

2025 Sun Belt Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week

Week 1 – Drew Donley, Texas State

Week 2 – Jacob Pyeatt, Arkansas State

Week 3 – Kelsey Singleton, Southern Miss

Week 4 – Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana

Week 5 – Drew Donley, Texas State

Week 6 – Calbert Guest, App State

2025 Sun Belt Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week

Week 1 – Reuben Booysen, South Alabama

Week 2 – Bradley Jelmert, Arkansas State

Week 3 – Nelvin Appiah, Louisiana

Week 4 – Chris Preddie, Texas State

Week 5 – Colby Eddowes, Arkansas State

Week 6 – Noa Isaia, Arkansas State

For 22-year-old Alex Ann, conversations about transgender women are black and white.

“Trans women are women,” said Ann, who identifies as a nonbinary trans person.

And when it comes to trans women competing in female sports — an issue that the Trump administration has made part of its policy agenda since Inauguration Day — Ann said that trans women should have all the same rights as cisgender women.

“When you are talking about what a woman is, well now you’re talking about checking to see if you’re really a woman,” said Ann, a South Florida resident. “And the kind of violation that in and of itself poses” goes too far, Ann continued.

Ann represents the views of just over a third of Gen Z, or 36%, that trans women should be allowed to participate in female sports, according to the new NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey. That level of support, from respondents ages 18-29, was the highest of any generation in the poll of 19,682 American adults.

Overall, 1 in 4 respondents, or 25%, said they supported trans women participating in female sports in a yes/no question. The other 75% of American adults said they do not believe trans women should be permitted to participate in female sports.

Cecilia Pogue, a 21-year-old college student from Virginia, said she believes that allowing trans women to compete in female sports comes at the expense of cisgender women.

“We want people to feel comfortable in their skin, and we want them to have opportunities, but we also need to make sure we’re not taking opportunities away from the majority to please the minority,” Pogue said.

BISMARCK, N.D. – Valley City State University had three athletes compete in the U Mary Tune Up on Wednesday, April 30. Viking Tayshaun Robinson recorded a first-place finish in 110-meter hurdles while Sadie Hanson took first in the javelin with a 35.20-meter throw.
 
Viking freshman Tayshaun Robinson took first place in the 110-meter hurdles running a 14.79. His time is currently the 26^th fastest time recorded in the NAIA this spring. Robinson looking to nationally qualify will need to run a 14.50 to guarantee a spot at nationals.
 
Viking senior Sadie Hansen took first place in the javelin throwing a 35.20-meter throw. Hansen qualified for nationals in the javelin in her junior season. She is looking for a 40.34-meter throw to earn an automatic bid to nationals.
 
VCSU’s sophomore Olivia Backus tied her personal best and was just four centimeters away from a national qualifying jump recording a 1.62-meter successful attempt at the U Mary tune up. She earned fourth in the high jump.
 
UP NEXT: Viking Track & Field is off to the Cobber Open on Saturday, May 3.
 

Rowan men’s outdoor track and field team had a record-breaking weekend at The Penn Relays in Philadelphia, while the rest of the squad displayed an impressive showing at the TCNJ Lions Invitational in Ewing, NJ, on April 25 and 26. 

While there was no team scoring at the meets, the Profs put together top times over the weekend. Head coach Dustin Dimit was extremely pleased with the performance from both meets. 

“ We’re really happy with it,” said Dimit. “We had great weather the first day and then a lot of rain the second, but still a lot of season bests, a national record, and some national performances. Excited to see what we do now that we’re here in championship season.” 

The highlight of the weekend for the Profs was setting the Division III outdoor record in the 4×200 (1:25.04) as freshmen Julian Conigliaro and Rajahn Dixon, sophomore Elijah Hendricks, and senior Robert McKinney broke the record held by Dubuque in 2022 (1:25.74). McKinney knew the foursome was going to break the record, as they have broken the indoor record as well. 

“ It was a good feeling we went into it,” said McKinney. “We were kind of expecting that we’re gonna break it, knowing that we just broke the indoor record. We kinda had a feeling we were going do it. We just had to go out and execute. But it was still a good feeling to do.” 

Dimit stated that he wanted to see them break the record for the outdoor season since they broke the record for the indoor season. 

“ That was their goal since breaking it indoors,” said Dimit. “We were excited to be able to go out there and do that and get the outdoor record as well.” 

Another highlight of the weekend was fifth-year student Shamar Love’s performance in the 100 meters (10.62) at the TCNJ Lions Invitational. The Bridgeton native was excited to run this past weekend, knowing that it would be his last time running track. 

“ Not having the indoor season, knowing that outdoor is gonna be my last time running track, I’m pretty excited,” said Love.

Dimit has stated that he is proud of his team for overcoming all of the adversity that has been placed in the way of the team this season. 

“ We’re really proud of all the guys,” said Dimit. “They’ve bought in from day one and it’s sometimes hard in those early season meets. When it’s cold and we’re going out there, it’s just as much of a workout as is a race and they’ve persevered through that.” 

The Profs will be back in action this weekend as the team aims to win its 10th consecutive NJAC title as they return to TCNJ in Ewing, NJ, on May 3 and 4. McKinney, who will be competing in his last NJAC championship meet, is determined to win. 

“ This is my last NJAC, so I just go out there and just win it,” said McKinney.

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email sports@thewhitonline.com

WATERVILLE — The University of Maine at Farmington men’s track and field team dominated the competition on Friday and Saturday, capturing the 2025 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship. The win marks the Beavers’ first NAC Championship in program history.

The Beavers left no doubt, earning 227 points — 78 more than the runners-up from Thomas College. In total, the Beavers won nine events, including both relays, en route to the monumental victory.

The event kicked off Friday afternoon with two events: the pole vault and the high jump. Farmington got off to a fast start as Seamus Reeve (Kittery, Maine) scored ten huge points by earning the NAC title in the pole vault. Reeve cleared the 3.35-meter mark to capture first place, becoming the first Beaver in program history to win the pole vault at the NAC Championship. First-year Owen Booker (Lisbon, Maine) finished just behind Reeve, placing second overall after clearing the 3.20-meter mark on his first attempt.

In the high jump on Friday, Ben Vachon (Portland, Maine) set a program record and qualified for the New England Championship after clearing 1.90 meters. Vachon claimed second overall, earning eight big points. Booker placed sixth overall in the event after clearing the 1.80-meter mark.

Senior Justin Castaldo (Scarborough, Maine) earned a pair of victories on Saturday, winning NAC Championship titles in both the 1,500 and 800 meters. Castaldo ran away from the rest of the field in the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 1:58.17 — six seconds faster than the second-place finisher. In the 1,500 meters, Castaldo finished two seconds ahead of teammate Ethan Linscott (Lakeville, Maine), who took home second place. Castaldo posted a time of 4:10.21. As a team in the 1,500 meters, Farmington had four of the top six finishers: Castaldo (1st), Linscott (2nd), Alexander Gagnon (Goffstown, N.H.) (5th), and Jimmy Reel (Nashua, N.H.) (6th).

Linscott and Connor Freeman (Bath, Maine) also scored meaningful points in the 800 meters. Linscott finished third with a time of 2:07.77, while Freeman was fifth with a time of 2:11.41.

Farmington scored massive points in the 5,000 meters, with five of the six scoring runners being Beavers. Andrew LaFlamme (Nashua, N.H.) finished first with a time of 16:16.15, a second and a half faster than David Hileman of Husson, who placed second. Gagnon placed third (16:23.81), Reel was fourth (16:43.05), James Riley finished fifth (16:55.56), and Samuel Perkins (Jay, Maine) was sixth (17:19.54). In total, the five Beavers combined to earn 23 points in the event.

Nate Trussell (Berwick, Maine) had a strong day for Farmington, earning 26 individual points. He placed first overall in the 110-meter hurdles, second in the 100 meters, and second in the 400-meter hurdles. Trussell finished the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.11 seconds to take first place. He posted a time of 11.75 in the 100 meters to earn second place, and in the 400-meter hurdles, he finished just 0.11 seconds out of first, clocking in at 1:02.60.

Logan Burns (Islesboro, Maine) and Reeve placed third and fourth, respectively, in the 100 meters, combining for ten more points for Farmington. Burns finished with a time of 11.88 seconds, just ahead of Reeve’s 11.92-second finish.

Farmington’s distance runners continued their outstanding performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sweeping the top three spots. LaFlamme finished first (10:58.45), Freeman was second (11:03.22), and Perkins third (11:08.09).

After his second-place finish on Friday, Vachon returned Saturday with two more strong performances. He placed second in the long jump (6.46 meters) and third in the triple jump (12.14 meters).

Burns and Booker also scored points in both the long jump and triple jump. Burns placed third in the long jump with a jump of 6.38 meters, and Booker was fifth at 6.30 meters. In the triple jump, Burns placed fifth (11.98 meters) and Booker was sixth (11.95 meters).

In the throws, sophomore Alex Crews (Winslow, Maine) had an impressive day. Crews was crowned NAC Champion in the shot put and took second in the hammer throw. His winning throw in the shot put measured 13.68 meters — more than six feet further than any other competitor. In the hammer throw, Crews’ best attempt was 40.85 meters.

The Beavers also dominated both the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays. In the 4×100, the team of Trussell, Burns, Reeve, and Vachon posted a time of 44.41 seconds, over a second faster than Thomas College. In the 4×400, Burns, Booker, Linscott, and Castaldo posted a time of 3:41.46 to earn the top spot.

The Beavers will enjoy this historic win as they prepare for the New England Championships next weekend at the Coast Guard Academy.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

The Maple Mountain boys volleyball team was invited to the inaugural First Point High School Boys Invitational in March, competing at the Austin (Texas) Sports Center against some of the top teams in the country.

The Golden Eagles, who won the first-ever Utah 5A boys volleyball title last spring, represented the state well. They finished second in the Legacy Division, losing just one match to No. 1 seed Windward (Calif.).

Maple Mountain has been one of the most dominant programs in the state the past two seasons and has won 36 consecutive matches against Utah competition. The Golden Eagles continued the streak on Tuesday, moving to 23-1 overall and 10-0 in Region 7 play with a sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) of Springville.

The First Point tournament showcased just what kind of boys volleyball is being played in Utah.

“It was cool to see the players from all the states there, even those states that don’t have high school volleyball,” Maple Mountain senior Trey Thornton said. “I know a bunch of the kids playing. Volleyball isn’t the biggest sport right now but it’s growing. So it was cool representing Utah. It’s a great state to represent.”

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Maple Mountain also got some cool uniforms from the First Point Tournament, designed exclusively by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Slunks, a popular volleyball apparel company.

“Everyone got custom uniforms to represent their state,” Maple Mountain coach Napoleon Galang said. “It was a great honor. They look cool and the boys love them, but it really means more than that. It’s really for them to pioneer, leave a legacy and represent Utah in a positive way. And there’s no better team, in my opinion, to represent Utah in that tournament.”

Galang is in his first year as head coach for the Golden Eagles after spending the past two as an assistant. The team is built around the 6-foot-7 Thornton, who has signed with BYU, 6-6 senior middle blocker Manase Storey and 6-7 junior setter Taft Hillman, all of whom played a big part in the team’s state title last season.

Thornton, who moved to Utah from Alabama last season, quickly became on of the Beehive state’s premier players. As a junior, he finished with 429 kills (4.6 per set) and hit .364, sweeping the state’s Mr. Volleyball and the Daily Herald’s Offensive MVP awards.

Thornton’s numbers are soaring again this season. He’s already totaled 300 kills (4.3 per set) and has raised his hitting percentage to .472 against defenses designed to stopping him.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

“This year, he’s trying to be a more cerebral player,” Galang said. “In whatever situation we’re in, he’s such a smart player. He’s focused on less errors this year, and it’s reflected in his numbers. He’s focusing on his passing, making good, smart plays and bouncing it when it’s the right moment. He’s improved his volleyball IQ, which was already high, and he’s making everyone around him better.”

Thornton’s totals would be even higher but for the dominance of the Golden Eagles, who have claimed 19 of their 23 victories in straight sets, including the past six matches in a row. He pounded out 27 kills against Skyridge in a five-set win earlier this season and had 25 in a five-setter against 4A No. 1 Orem.

On Tuesday against Springville, Thornton had 13 kills on 19 swings with just three errors for a hitting percentage of .526.

“I’ve been working with my setter (Hillman) and trying to ID the ball earlier, seeing whether it’s inside or outside,” Thornton said. “I’m working and trusting my teammates that they’re going to give me a good set and it’s going to work.

“One of our greatest strengths is we have great bench players. We can practice a championship game in our gym, which not many people can say they can. And we have great support from the community.”

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

Thornton said he plans on playing his freshman season at BYU before serving a church mission. The Cougars would do well to keep an eye on Hillman as well, the son of former BYU standout Joe Hillman, who is an assistant coach at Maple Mountain.

Galang has plugged in two freshmen — outside hitter Kimball Olsen and libero McKay Beattie — and credits the leadership of Thornton and Storey in the Golden Eagles 2025 success.

“They (the freshmen) are some of the hardest working players I’ve seen,” Thornton said. “They want it. They want to play college, they want to win, they want to do all the big things, and they’re doing the right things for sure.”

Maple Mountain will likely hold on to its No. 1 RPI spot and be the top seed when the 5A state tournament begins at Utah Valley’s UCCU Center on May 9.

“From the beginning, the players knew what the goal was, and that is to win state again,” Galang said. “Every day in the gym we give the players challenges. We have to keep them challenged in every aspect of the game. They know they have to stay on top of it, because everybody is after us. As long as we play our game, play consistently and clean, and win the serve and pass game, it’s going to be ours to lose.”

Thornton added, “Every point is a mini game. We win our mini games, we win the game. We just need to stay hungry every point, locking in on doing what we need to do in practice and that will reflect on the court.”