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Soldier

MR: Yet, here you are. What do people say now that you’ve made it as an artist? S: It’s about proving a point. At first it was, “Oh my God, you’re insane. You’re going to die.” But it worked out. I think if you have something to say, you’ve got to prove it. Obviously, it […]

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Soldier

MR: Yet, here you are. What do people say now that you’ve made it as an artist?

S: It’s about proving a point. At first it was, “Oh my God, you’re insane. You’re going to die.” But it worked out. I think if you have something to say, you’ve got to prove it. Obviously, it could have gone the other way; not everyone runs away from home and lands on their feet. But I stayed focused. I treated this like a job from day one. And now I’m making them proud—with art and design. That feels amazing.

MR: How does your African background shape you as an artist?

S: The name Soldier came from growing up in Nigeria, where there’s a lot of civil unrest— military coups, the army taking over. Civilians aren’t even allowed to wear camouflage. I remember having a pair of camo pants, and some soldiers stopped me like, “stop fucking around with that shit.” Then I came to England and realized you could walk into a store, buy camo, and wear it freely. I was young, and I took the name Soldier as a way to claim freedom, rebellion, all of that. It stuck. As for the work, I paint portraits and figurative pieces mostly of people from the Black community—people who look like me, where I’m from. I’ve painted my mum, my dad, my whole extended family. That part of me is always there. Nigeria is in all of it.

MR: What are the main visual elements and themes in your work?

S: I try to stay as honest as possible with myself and to keep learning, never limiting myself to one style or idea. As an artist, if you’ve got something to say, just do it. In the art world, you see a lot of people sticking to the same theme or style for years. But if you look at my work, I think you’ll see freedom of thought and experimentation. I’m always exploring new things, pushing boundaries, and going different places. I don’t want to repeat myself—that shit’s boring.

MR: Is there an expectation of how a Soldier work should look?

S: If there is, I don’t care. Let people think whatever they want. When I make work, I don’t focus on how it will be perceived. It’s about me first. People tell me, “That camera work was sick,” but that was years ago. I’m not doing that anymore. Maybe next I’ll be painting with sticks or something. I don’t worry about controlling how people feel about my work. Yeah, some things I do are recognizable, and sure, it might make good money, but I try not to stay in that lane for too long, so that I don’t get boxed in.

MR: Part of your practice is infused with a religious, quasi-sacred aesthetic, reminiscent of church icons. Why?

S: I grew up in the church, and a big part of my introduction to art were the illustrations and engravings you see in the Bible and religious literature. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I was inspired by it. I feel like whenever I paint people, I want to capture personal details but also give it an impersonal take that feels almost magical, like icons on the tinted glass in a Church.

In my last show, “When the Saints Go Marching,” I painted my mother, my dad, siblings, and even some actors I admired growing up. I want these people to live forever through my work. For me, painting is about making loved ones—and the things you love— immortal.

MR: Much of your work doubles as social critique, but can you separate art from politics?

S: You can, but then you’ll turn up with some shit like the Teletubbies. I feel like when you’re making work, you need to say something. The world we’re living in is too crazy to not address. I don’t consider myself overly political, but I can’t make art that doesn’t respond to something. I’m not out here scanning the newspapers every morning for inspiration—I don’t even want to go near that. What I do know is that whatever I absorb as a human being, I end up funneling into my work.

Also, I think the beautiful thing about art is that it lets people latch whatever they want onto it. If others want to inject their own meanings into it, I don’t mind. But you should have fun with it.

MR: Later, you started collaborating with brands like Louis Vuitton and MARNI. Is fashion and commercial work just a way to get your message out or are you exploring something else entirely?

S: I think both. When you make art, you do it in tiers. The highest tier, the painting, is more expensive and harder to get. But you also want regular people to experience your work, which is why I started painting on boards. When I work with fashion brands or create art for them, it’s about spreading the message, but also about giving people different avenues to experience what I do. If I could, I’d make music too. I want people from all walks of life to be able to grab a piece of me. For this exhibition I partnered with Salomon who came in and supported the show and so I feel there’s always an element of fashion influence, whether that be in what I wear or who’s involved, in a lot of what I do.

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Mountain Bruins Wine Tasting event a success | News

The Mountain Bruins hosted their annual Wine Tasting Social on Friday May 23.   Over 70 members of the scholarship program gathered at the charming estate home of Lisa and Brian Cohen for the annual wine tasting event.   This year, the Mountain Bruins are supporting nine local mountain residents in their academic journey at UCLA.  […]

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The Mountain Bruins hosted their annual Wine Tasting Social on Friday May 23.  



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Track & Field Ready for the Four-Day NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville – LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU track and field team is kicking off the initial qualifying rounds of the NCAA meets with the NCAA East First Round hosted at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The four-day meet will be streamed lived on ESPN+. Live Results | Meet Schedule | Meet Information LSU will have […]

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BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU track and field team is kicking off the initial qualifying rounds of the NCAA meets with the NCAA East First Round hosted at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The four-day meet will be streamed lived on ESPN+.

Live Results | Meet Schedule | Meet Information

LSU will have 34 student-athletes (20 men, 14 women) competing this week at the NCAA East First Round. The first day of the meet (Wednesday) is set to start at 1:30 p.m. CT for LSU with the men’s javelin throw.

Live coverage of the NCAA East First Round will air on ESPN+, starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Wednesday: ESPN+ Stream (5 p.m.)
Thursday: ESPN+ Stream (5 p.m.)
Friday: ESPN+ Stream (4 p.m.)
Saturday: ESPN+ Stream (4 p.m.)

The Tigers will be represented at next week’s NCAA East First Round by 34 student athletes across 39 entries next week. The women are heading to this year’s meet with 13 less entries and seven less members than last year’s team. The men will have three less entries, but retain the same number of athletes as last year’s team.

To mirror the format of the national meet, the First Round will be contested over four days with alternating men’s and women’s programs. The NCAA West First Round will take place the same weekend at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas. The top 12 in each event advance to Eugene, Ore., for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 11-14). Listed below are all 39 entries for LSU and more info pertaining the upcoming meets.

Women’s Qualifiers | 18 entries, 14 student-athletes

100 (2) Tima Godbless, Aniyah Bigam
200 (2) Tima Godbless, Aniyah Bigam
400 (1) Ella Onojuvwevwo
800 (1) Michaela Rose
10,000 (1) Edna Chepkemoi
400h (1) Garriel White
4 x 100 Machaeda Linton, Nasya Williams, Aniyah Bigam, Tima Godbless
4 x 400 Ella Onojuvwevwo, Michaela Rose, Aniyah Bigam, Garriel White
PV (1) Johanna Duplantis
LJ (1) Machaeda Linton
TJ (2) Machaeda Linton, Taylor Fingers
DT (2) Princesse Hyman, Leah Acosta,
JT (2) Trinity Spooner, Alexis Guillory

 

Men’s Qualifiers | 21 entries, 20 student-athletes

100 (3) Jelani Watkins, Jaiden Reid, Myles Thomas
200 (2) Jaiden Reid, Jelani Watkins
400 (1) Amal Glasgow
1500 (2) Emedy Kiplimo, Rhen Langley
110h (2) Matthew Sophia, Jahiem Stern
4 x 100 Jahiem Stern, Jaiden Reid, Myles Thomas, Jelani Watkins
4 x 400 Jeremiah Walker, Shakeem McKay, Gregory Prince, Amal Glasgow
HJ (3) Kam Franklin, Kuda Chadenga, Isaac Onuoha
PV (1) Beau Domingue
LJ (1) Jordan Turner
DT (2) Chad Hendricks, Jaden James, Jevan Parara
JT (1) Paul Catalanatto Jr.

 

The complete list of participants is available on the following website.

For more information regarding the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and to purchase tickets, log on to NCAA.com/trackandfield.

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Volleyball Announces 2025 Schedule – Rutgers University Athletics

Story Links PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers volleyball has unveiled its schedule for the upcoming 2025 season, featuring 13 home contests and the 20-game Big Ten slate with home games against NCAA opponents Nebraska, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. Ticket information for home games will be released at a future […]

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers volleyball has unveiled its schedule for the upcoming 2025 season, featuring 13 home contests and the 20-game Big Ten slate with home games against NCAA opponents Nebraska, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington.

Ticket information for home games will be released at a future date.

The season kicks off in late August as the Scarlet Knights travel to Buffalo, New York to meet Marist, Liberty and Buffalo the weekend of August 29-31.

Nonconference action continues with a weekend trip to Fairfield, Connecticut for match ups with Dartmouth, host Sacred Heart and LIU on Sept. 5-7.

RU’s first home matches of the season will include nonconference action with Rider on Wednesday, Sept. 10, St. Francis (PA) on Thursday, Sept. 11 and New Hampshire on Friday, Sept. 12.

The nonconference schedule concludes with a trip to Fairfax, Virginia, to take on Coppin State and host George Mason the weekend of Sept. 19-20.

Big Ten play opens up at the end of September as Rutgers starts off conference play on the road at Wisconsin on Friday, Sept. 26 and at Minnesota on Sunday, Sept. 28.

RU opens up October with five of six at home. Big Ten action comes to the banks beginning Friday, Oct. 3 with Maryland and continues with Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 4, Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 10 and Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Scarlet Knights have a return date at Maryland on Wednesday, Oct. 15 before closing out the October home stand with Purdue on Sunday, Oct. 19 on Homecoming/Alumnae Weekend.

October concludes with three road dates, including a meeting with national champion Penn State on Friday, Oct. 24, as well as trips to Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 26 and Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 31.

November begins on the road at Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 1, before returning home to host Michigan on Friday, Nov. 7, and to close out the season series with Ohio State on Sunday, Nov. 9.

Rutgers makes its west coast trip this year to California to meet up with USC on Friday, Nov. 14 and UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 15 while the Scarlet Knights’ final road date will be at Indiana on Thursday, Nov. 20.

The regular season comes to a close with three home games. RU welcomes Minnesota on Sunday, Nov. 23, Oregon on Wednesday, Nov. 26 and Washington on Friday, Nov. 28.

Ticket information for 2025 contests will be released later this summer, along with TV and streaming designations. Stay tuned to ScarletKnights.com as information becomes available.

 




VB Schedule Graphic - page 1

VB schedule graphic - big ten only

Follow Rutgers women’s volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

– RU  –

 
 
 





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Aniamaka, Block, Reeves-Lile, and VanZeeland Set to Compete at NCAA West Regional Preliminary Rounds

Story Links MILWAUKEE – Divine Aniamaka, Natalie Block, Jaelyn Reeves-Lile, and Olivia VanZeeland of the Milwaukee track & field teams have qualified to compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, taking place May 28-31 in College Station, Texas.   The West Regional athletes with the top 48 marks in their […]

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MILWAUKEE – Divine Aniamaka, Natalie Block, Jaelyn Reeves-Lile, and Olivia VanZeeland of the Milwaukee track & field teams have qualified to compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, taking place May 28-31 in College Station, Texas.
 

The West Regional athletes with the top 48 marks in their respective events will be competing at Texas A&M’s E.B Cushing Stadium across four days. The meet will be available to watch live on ESPN+ starting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and at 5:00 p.m. the final two days.
 

 The top 12 athletes in each event will advance from the first-round sites to the NCAA Track & Field Championships, held from June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
 
Returning to the West Prelims in both the 100m and 400m hurdles for the second year in a row will be Block. After claiming Horizon League titles in both races, she will look to punch her ticket to Oregon for the second time in the 400m hurdles, and add her first trip in the 100m hurdles.
 
The only Panther making their second regional appearance, Block currently ranks 17th in the West in the 100m hurdles with a top time of 13.16, and 22nd in the 400m hurdles at 57.71.
 
Block will run in the first round of both events on Thursday, the 100m hurdles will begin at 6:00 p.m. then she will finish the day with the 400m hurdles at 8:20 p.m. The top 24 finishers in the first round will advance the quarterfinal round held on Saturday.
 
Reeves-Lile made the cut after a tremendous finish to the season saw him win league titles and set school records in the 100m and 200m dashes. His time in the 200m dash of 20.51 puts him at 14th in the regional rankings, while he checks in at 35th on the 100m dash leaderboard with a mark of 10.24.
 
Reeves-Lile is set to be the first Panther in action on Wednesday, starting in the 100m at 7:00 p.m. before finishing in the 200m at 8:45 p.m. Both quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday should he advance.
 
VanZeeland earned her spot in the competition back on Apr. 17 when she cleared 1.80m in the high jump to leave her tied for 23rd in the region’s rankings and topple the program record. She continued her stellar season at the Horizon League Championships where she claimed her second high jump title with a mark of 1.75m. She will compete for her spot at Nationals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
 
Rounding out the qualifiers will be Aniamaka, who recorded his best triple jump performance of the season at the league championships with a leap of 15.39m. The distance placed him 38th in the West and tied for the best jump in school history. He is slated to compete on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
 





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Volleyball England begins 70th year celebrations

Volleyball England today begins its 70th anniversary year celebrations! It was on 28th May 1955 that the first ever meeting of the Amateur Volleyball Association (AVA) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland took place.  Just under a year later, a constitution was finalised on 6th April 1956, paving the way for organised volleyball to be […]

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Volleyball England today begins its 70th anniversary year celebrations!

It was on 28th May 1955 that the first ever meeting of the Amateur Volleyball Association (AVA) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland took place. 

Just under a year later, a constitution was finalised on 6th April 1956, paving the way for organised volleyball to be established in the UK. 

The AVA was the forerunner to the individual Home Nation national associations that now govern the sport in each of those countries today, with the AVA renamed the English Volleyball Association in 1972 and Volleyball England in 2006. 

Richard Callicott OBE, Honorary President of Volleyball England, reflected on the sport’s incredible journey over the last seven decades:

“The sport has changed in so many ways in the last 70 years, with tactics, techniques, skills, fitness and commitment all improving. But the most important aspect is that the sport is enjoyed and is considered fun for so many boys and girls, and men and women of all levels of ability.”

“The development of Volleyball in England was held back due to the lack of indoor facilities until the 1970s. It was only when Sports halls were built that indoor sports were able to develop.

“Coaches were the mechanism for the expansion of Volleyball, and clubs were the means by which young people were encouraged into the sport.

“Until then, volleyball was played outdoors on grass. Events such as Sandwell, Whitfield and Ashcombe were able to showcase the sport (Sandwell was in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in Europe).”

The competitive structure also saw significant growth in the sport across the country, with Richard saying, “Over the years, competitions have expanded and players have benefited from National, Regional and Local leagues, producing some outstanding players.

“England has had some great players who have gone on to play for professional clubs in Europe and around the world. This was never truer than in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We have now competed in the Olympic and Paralympic Games as Great Britain in Volleyball, Beach Volleyball and Sitting Volleyball. Indeed, Mo Glover and Audrey Cooper were our first players to play in the Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta.

England now we has a men’s Team, Joaquin and Javier Bello, winning a bronze medal in the second Commonwealth Beach Tournament in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham as well as a gold medal in Brazil last year in the Elite 16. They are currently ranked 10th in the world, with other English pairs close behind.

“The sport of volleyball is one of the most widely played in the world, and England is part of the European Confederation, which has over 50 Federations to compete against. I am confident that we will see our teams show increasing progress in the coming years.

“Now for the next 70 years!” said Richard.

To mark the occasion, Volleyball England will be staging several events in recognition of its 70th year, including one at Cup Finals 2026. 

Members of the Volleyball England Heritage Project Core Group will also be looking to unlock some of the many stories from the past 70 years that will be told through the Facebook Group and Heritage podcast. 

From the record number of England caps for Ann Jarvis (176) to the Bello brothers winning an Elite 16 event for the first time, the sport has never been short of memorable moments – and they are keen to document the best moments that have been enjoyed across the community. 

For now, though, members are encouraged to send in any written literature images or videos they wish to share that may be of interest to others. 

If you do so, please send via email to info@volleyballengland.org, detailing what has been submitted, as well as who has sent it and contact information in case of query. 



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Moanalua graduate wins national volleyball championship with Long Beach State

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – When talking about all-time University of Hawaii at Manoa volleyball rivals, Long Beach State is right up there. Caught in the middle is DiAeris McRaven. “Coming back, I always feel the love from the fans, even when they were mad at me for scoring against UH,” said McRaven. “I still feel the […]

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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – When talking about all-time University of Hawaii at Manoa volleyball rivals, Long Beach State is right up there.

Caught in the middle is DiAeris McRaven.

“Coming back, I always feel the love from the fans, even when they were mad at me for scoring against UH,” said McRaven. “I still feel the love. I get the leis from all the aunties and uncles. As much as I’m the enemy, they make me feel like I’m back at home.”

The Honolulu native grew up dominating on the basketball court until his sophomore year at Moanalua, when he finally took his mom’s advice.

“My mom played volleyball back in Japan,” McRaven said. “She was on the junior national team in Japan as well. My mom always wanted me to play… Relative to a lot of my teammates, I started pretty late.”

(DiAeris McRaven)

Though with athleticism like his, it didn’t take long to catch up.

However, when it came to post-graduation plans, McRaven said, “Obviously every kid wants to go to Division I right out of high school, realizing I had to go the junior college route was challenging. Obviously not my first choice, but I just put my head down and kept working.”

After two years at Southern California’s Orange Coast College, he made the leap, not only to a DI program, but to a team that fought for a national championship the year prior against Hawaii.

(DiAeris McRaven)

Fast forward to this season, where he ended his collegiate career with his own national title run. He led the Beach with five blocks in their championship match sweep of the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Obviously you dream about those moments,” McRaven said. “You see it growing up, like ‘Wow, I wonder what it feels like to be there, to be a national champion.’ I still don’t really grasp the weight of it.”

McRaven says his playing days aren’t quite over yet, he plans to pursue opportunities overseas.

Then he wants to make a career out of filmmaking, a craft he also picked up in high school.

“I love movies and I love making small stories in my head, watching a film and going ‘Oh what if this happened,’” he said. “Or what if they took a different route, and I think subconsciously I always had that film-making passion in me, but didn’t realize it.”

McRaven says attending Long Beach State was a blessing for him. Being near Hollywood, he had the opportunity to meet other filmmakers in the industry.

(DiAeris McRaven)



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