Harrogate, TN – Six Railsplitters were named to the 2025 IVA Men’s Volleyball All Conference Teams: Eliel Salva Torres, Griffin Wheatley, John Luers, Matthew Gentry, Johan Negron, and Tate Colebaugh.

Salva Torres was named IVA All-Conference First Team. Over the 2025 season, the sophomore middle blocker  recorded 166 kills with just 32 errors, leading to a .498 attack percentage, which ranked second in the nation, just behind his teammate Matthew Gentry. Torres also contributed with 19 service aces, 24 digs, 11 solo blocks, and 65 block assists. He ranked third in the IVA and 21st nationally in blocks per set, with an average of 0.987.

Wheatley was named IVA All-Conference First Team. The sophomore outside hitter posted  177 kills and a .252 attack percentage, with his top performance being against North Greenville where he registered 12 kills for a 0.625 attack percentage.  He also recorded 14 assists, 17 service aces. On defense, he added 3 solo blocks, 33 block assists, and 108 digs. Wheatley ranked 19th in the IVA in attack percentage.

Luers was named IVA All-Conference First Team.  In the 2025 season, the redshirt senior setter nearly reached the 1,000-assist milestone with 896 assists. He also recorded 8 service aces, 177 digs, 12 solo blocks, 45 block assists, and 44 kills. His top performance of the season came in the IVA Championship against Maryville, where he recorded a career-high 50 assists. Luers ranked 6th nationally in assists per set and 26th in digs per set. His efforts earned him a spot on the IVA All-Tournament Team, and he was named the IVA Tournament MVP.

Gentry was named IVA All-Conference First Team. During the 2025 season, the graduate student middle blocker racked up 223 kills with just 36 errors, resulting in a nation-best .557 attack percentage. His top showing came against Saint Francis, where he notched 16 kills and an.750 hitting percentage. Gentry also tallied 12 assists, 41 service aces, 67 digs, 24 solo blocks, and 72 block assists over the season. Nationally, he made his mark by ranking 11th in service aces, 10th in blocks per set, and leading the country in attack percentage.

Johan Negron was named IVA All-Conference Second Team. The junior opposite finished the 2025 season with 140 kills for a .263 attack percentage. He showed up offensively and defensively, as he tallied 22 service aces and 84 digs. He ranked 12th in the IVA in aces per set (0.324) and 15th in attack percentage (0.253). One of his top performances came against King, where he recorded 9 kills with a .727 attack percentage.

Tate Colebaugh was named IVA All-Conference Second Team. The senior libero finished the 2025 season strong defensively, finishing with 176 digs and 28 assists. He recorded double-digit digs in seven matches, including a season-high 16 digs against Harvard. Colebaugh ranked 8th in the IVA in digs per set with an average of 2.05.

 

The full list of IVA All-Conference Teams can be found below:

IVA All-Conference Teams

First Team

Deklan Wingo (OH | Tusculum]

Eli Zdonek (OH | Catawba)

Eliel Salva Torres (MB | Lincoln Memorial)

Griffin Wheatley (OH | Lincoln Memorial)

John Luers (S | Lincoln Memorial]

Luke Kraft (OPP | Maryville]

Matthew Gentry (MB | Lincoln Memorial)

Nate Myer [OH | Missouri S&T]

Trevor Phillips [OH | Catawba]

Zac Clark [L | Maryville]

Second Team

Aaron Sallade (OPP | Missouri S&T]

Ethan Beyreis-heim (S | Maryville]

Johan Negron (OPP | Lincoln Memorial)

Kevin Doran (MB | Maryville]

Lucas Tran (OH / OPP | Rockhurst]

Makai Scott (OH | Maryville]

Morgan Makovec (MB | Tusculum]

Shay Spadaro (OH | Rockhurst)

Tate Colebaugh (L | Lincoln Memorial)

Tyler Johnwick (MB | Missouri S&T]

 

 

 

 

 

Teenage soccer sensation Lamine Yamal experienced a rare moment of normalcy when a group of American tourists approached him for directions in Barcelona, completely unaware they were speaking to one of the world’s most promising young athletes. Mundo Deportivo’s account of the encounter has sparked conversations about celebrity, recognition, and the psychological value of occasional anonymity for public figures who rarely experience everyday interactions without the filter of fame.

The 17-year-old FC Barcelona winger, who commands multi-million dollar endorsement deals and whose highlights routinely generate millions of views online, found himself momentarily transformed back into just another local teenager when the tourists sought directions to La Sagrada Familia – ironically passing one of Yamal’s own promotional billboards minutes later.

Modern Fame’s Curious Blind Spots

The incident occurred in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, where Yamal was enjoying a rare afternoon off when approached by the tourists. “They asked me how to get to Sagrada Familia, and I just gave them directions like any local would,” Yamal shared on his Instagram account. “They thanked me and walked away without any idea. It was actually refreshing to have a normal interaction.”

Celebrity recognition researchers note that such “recognition failures” create fascinating windows into how fame operates in contemporary culture. “What we’re seeing is the increasingly fragmented nature of celebrity recognition across demographic and cultural lines,” explains Dr. Elena Martinez, who studies media and recognition patterns at Pompeu Fabra University’s Media Influence Lab in Barcelona.

The tourists only discovered whom they’d encountered after Yamal’s post went viral, prompting the family to reach out through social media. “My husband showed me the post and I nearly dropped my phone,” recounted Jennifer Thompson, one of the tourists. “We had literally watched him play on TV the night before at our hotel.”

Digital Fame’s Psychological Paradox

Sports psychologists suggest that such moments of anonymity can serve as important psychological relief valves for young athletes navigating the pressures of early fame. “For athletes who achieve celebrity status during their formative years, these brief returns to normalcy are psychologically valuable,” notes Dr. Richard Wilson, sports psychologist with the Institute for Athletic Mental Health .

Research published in Frontiers in Psychology’s Sport Psychology section suggests that young athletes who maintain connections to ordinary experiences demonstrate greater long-term resilience against burnout and mental health challenges – a particularly relevant concern for young soccer prodigies who face extraordinary pressure from early ages.

Tourism and Soccer: Barcelona’s Twin Economies

The humorous encounter highlights the significant overlap between Barcelona’s twin economic engines – tourism and football. Official data from Barcelona’s municipal government indicates that tourism accounts for approximately 18% of the city’s GDP, with FC Barcelona-related tourism representing a significant segment of this activity.

The city’s tourism board has increasingly leveraged the global appeal of FC Barcelona in its marketing strategies, with Yamal himself featured prominently in recent campaigns. Barcelona receives approximately 32 million visitors annually, with surveys indicating that nearly 20% include Camp Nou or FC Barcelona Museum experiences in their itineraries.

Gen Z Athletes and Changing Media Relationships

Marketing analysts suggest Yamal’s good-natured sharing of the encounter reflects a generational shift in how young athletes manage their public personas. “Gen Z athletes like Yamal have grown up with social media as a native communication channel,” explains Carlos Torres, digital sports marketing specialist at Deloitte Digital .

This comfort with digital authenticity extends to how younger athletes handle both recognition and its absence. McKinsey’s Sports Media Consumption Report notes that athletes under 25 show distinctly different patterns in managing public interaction, with greater willingness to share unscripted moments and acknowledge the sometimes arbitrary nature of fame.

The encounter has been viewed over 15 million times across platforms, generating engagement rates significantly higher than Yamal’s typical posts. Content analysis firm Social Blade reports the post had approximately 340% higher engagement than his average content, demonstrating the appeal of these authentic glimpses behind the curtain of celebrity.

As Yamal continues his meteoric rise in world football, this small moment of mistaken identity offers both the player and his fans a charming reminder of the young person behind the growing legend – someone who, at least for a few minutes on a Barcelona afternoon, was just another helpful local guiding lost tourists through his city.

Stevenson’s girls water polo team continued its run to perfection Saturday.

The Patriots (30-0) swept their three opponents Saturday at the Stevenson Invitational to keep the momentum going heading into next week’s state tournament.

“We are playing well and have all season,” Stevenson coach Jeff Wimer said. “Today was also an opportunity for the younger kids to gain more experience.”

The Patriots went from bed to the pool with their 8 a.m. match with Hersey. It was their closest match of the tournament with the Patriots knocking the Huskies, who won the MSL title earlier this past week, 7-4.

Dhanani Seneviratne led the Patriots with 3 goals, 2 assists and 4 steals. Victoria Duncan added a pair of goals while Elsa Kusevskis had 10 saves and 4 assists.

Stevenson went on to dominate its final two matches. The Patriots beat Naperville Central 21-2 and Barrington 17-2.

Caroline Bichkoff had 8 goals while Seneviratne and Duncan each had 7 goals in the tournament to lead Stevenson. Erika White added 5 goals, Jillian Carlson 4 goals, Paloma Cantre 3, Olivia Kessel 2 and Chloe Collins, Nora Greenspan, Daniella Berger and Clare Mao each scored once.

Stevenson used Olivia Spieth on a limited basis in all three games. The junior, who scored three goals in the tournament, will be at a national tryout in California next weekend and will miss sectionals.

“There are certain things we wanted to work on without Olivia,” Wimer said. “We will be fine. She (Spieth) is a very dominant player. But we have a lot girls that come off the bench that are really strong. We’re deep.”

After its disappointing loss to Stevenson, Hersey (21-7-1) rallied to beat Barrington 14-5 and then knocked off Naperville Central 8-6.

Hersey coach Megan Brownley said that she liked the way her team competed against Stevenson. She was also pleased how her team performed in their final two games since her girls have prom Saturday night.

“Our girls were really focused and wanted to come back to win,” said Brownley, whose team is the top seed in the Barrington sectional later this week.

“Our focus today was to fix the mistakes we made last Wednesday in the conference championship game. I thought we really executed well.”

Emily Steinberg, Kayla Brace, and Andrea Teves each scored 5 goals in the tournament. Melissa Loch had 4 goals along with 11 steals, which made her the all-time leader in steals at Hersey with 281.

Cassie Gankhuleg added 3 goals while Freedom Toll and Sam Hasche also scored for the Huskies.

Naperville Central (16-13) was able to pick up a win in the tournament with a 12-3 decision over Barrington. After losing to Stevenson, the Redhawks had to come right back after a short break and play Hersey.

“We made adjustments and I was really proud of the girls and how they shifted on their defense,” Naperville Central coach Haley Green said. “We knew Stevenson was going to be a tough game, so we tried to give our starters a little bit of a rest. We made some good pushes up the pool in the Hersey game.”

Bernadette Albright led the Redhawks with 6 goals while Molly Moore and Macy Fults each scored 5 times. Meghan Tueting and Rachel Viehwag also both scored.

Barrington (11-17), which is seeded sixth in its sectional, battled hard in all three of its matches coach Kelly Meckert said.

“We love coming to this tournament because we see a different side of our athletes,” Meckert said. “Because they truly have to work together to catch these breakaways. They have to call these shifts and it prepares us quite nicely going into our competitive sectional week.”

Abby Ashcraft led the Fillies with 5 goals, Olivia Schwan had 3 goals while Lizzie Williams and Lucy Vraniak also both scored.

            Senior throwers Hailey Baker and Reilly Young earned All-NSIC finishes in the hammer throw Friday to lead the Wayne State women’s track and field team on the opening day of the 2025 Northern Sun Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota.  As a team, the Wildcats are tied for fourth after the first day of competition with 22 points.
            Minnesota State is the team leader with 83 points followed by Augustana in second at 56.  Sioux Falls was third with 31 points with Wayne State, Northern State and Concordia-St. Paul each tie for fourth at 22 points.  
            Baker was one of three Wildcats to place in the hammer throw, collecting All-NSIC honors with a second-place finish at 180′ 9″.  Reilly Young was right behind in third at 162′ 8″ and another senior – McKenna Markle – was sixth in the event at 153′ 0″.
            Other points scored by the Wildcats came from Olivia Schwarzrock taking fourth in the shot put at 45′ 10″. 
            Kailee Kellum made the finals in the long jump but just missed a medal finishing ninth with a top mark of 18′ 1 1/2″.              
            The final day of the Northern Sun Conference Track and Field Championships will be held Saturday with field events beginning at 10 a.m. and finals in all running events set to start at 1 p.m. 

About Augustana University:

Augustana University is located in the growing and vibrant city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota with a metro area of over 265,000 people. Augustana University has, for more than 150 years, provided a strong student-centric education based on its five core values: Christian faith, liberal arts, excellence, community and service. Currently with 21 NCAA sports programs and 2 more launching in 2023-24, Augustana Athletics is focused on building champions in the classroom, in competition and in the community, highlighted by three team national championships over the last six years. Ranking 7th in the 2021-22 Learfield Directorâ™s Cup, the 9th time in 10 years with a top twenty finish, Augustana is currently implementing its’ strategic plan, Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. The addition of menâ™s hockey that will compete at the Division I level is a key element of the strategic plan. Augustana Athletics has two priorities in the current phase of the plan, win the Directorâ™s Cup as the best athletics department in Division II and build a nationally competitive menâ™s hockey program. Midco Arena, the new on campus home for Viking hockey will also house administrative offices scheduled to open in 2023.

Graduate Assistant â“ Cross-Country/Track & Field

Augustana University invites applications for the position of Graduate Assistant â“ Cross-Country / Track & Field. This is a unique opportunity designed to provide on-the-job learning experiences for recent college graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in intercollegiate athletics. The graduate assistant will support all aspects of the Cross-Country and Track & Field programs, with hands-on experience in both day-to-day operations and coaching responsibilities. This role reports directly to the Head Cross-Country / Track & Field Coach and serves as an integral part of a competitive and dynamic NCAA Division II athletic program. Every effort has been made to make the job description as complete as possible. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties that will be required to perform.

This position covers 50% tuition in qualifying academic programs plus an hourly rate of pay. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related to, or is a logical assignment to the position.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Assist with planning and implementation of daily practices, training sessions, and team meetings.
• Provide coaching support for specific event groups within Cross-Country and/or Track & Field (e.g., distance, sprints, jumps, throws).
• Support all facets of program operations, including equipment management, travel coordination, and meet preparation.
• Participate in recruitment of prospective student-athletes through evaluations, communication, and campus visits.
• Assist with administrative tasks, including NCAA compliance documentation, academic monitoring, and budget tracking.
• Help facilitate a team environment that promotes athletic, academic, and personal excellence.
• Contribute to the planning and execution of home meets and special team events.
• Represent Augustana University in a professional manner at all times.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelorâ™s degree required.
• Minimum of 1-year experience in a college Cross-Country/Track & Field program.
• Proficient in Google Platform.
• Ability to work on deadline and management several tasks simultaneously with consistent follow-through.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Creative self-starter with ability to exhibit diplomacy and tact while protecting confidentiality.
• Ability to work nights and weekends as typical in collegiate athletics.
• Strict adherence to established NCAA, conference, and University rules and regulations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Former student-athlete.
• Acceptance into an Augustana graduate studies program.
• CPR/First Aid Certification (or willingness to obtain)
• Interacting with students, faculty and leadership with different backgrounds and points of view and a deep appreciation of and respect for academic values and culture must be a top value of the candidate.

Interacting with students, faculty and leadership with different backgrounds and points of view and a deep appreciation of and respect for academic values and culture must be a top value of the candidate.

Application Procedure:

The position will remain open until filled. Interested applicants are asked to submit the below application materials in one document to our

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