New Trier embraced their rare role as an underdog in girls water polo in Saturday’s sectional championship game against Evanston at Glenbrook South and even scored the first goal of the game.

But with the season on the line, the Wildkits showed their rivals that how you finish is more important than how you start.

Evanston edged New Trier 5-4, limiting the losers to just one goal in the second half, and advanced to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row. Four goals by senior Maya Vincent helped the Wildkits earn back-to-back trips to the Illinois High School Association state tournament for just the second time in school history, matching the accomplishment by the 2003 and 2004 squads.

Saturday’s triumph was the 12th in a row for the Wildkits. Their reward for that win streak? A matchup with defending state champion Stevenson in the state quarterfinals next Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the Patriots’ pool.

Other first-round state tournament games will match Naperville North against Fremd, St. Ignatius against Lyons Township, and York against Lincoln-Way Central. The semifinals and finals will be played Saturday at Stevenson.

The Trevians refused to go quietly after losing to the Kits and tying them once prior to Saturday’s showdown. Fortunately for ETHS head coach Maggie Hatcher, her team was able to match that intensity and improved to 23-4-1 on the season.

Zaya Arellano’s goal early in the second half stood as the game-winner after New Trier did manage a score with approximately two minutes left in regulation. But the losers couldn’t get any closer against the stout Wildkit defense.

“It was closer than we would’ve liked it to be,” Hatcher admitted. “New Trier came out hard at us and you have to give them credit. It took us a little while to settle in — I’m not sure if we ever really settled in — but we got the job done.

“To play a team five times in a season and come out with a win is pretty tough to do. We didn’t play our best game, but we did what we had to do to win it. In the fourth quarter our defense did a really good job of adjusting to what New Trier was running on offense. They scored their only goal on a power play, so I thought we were pretty dominant with our defense. We just need more offense.

“We know we’re at our best if we take control right away, but it some ways it really doesn’t matter if we don’t, because these girls don’t quit. They take what they’ve learned and do whatever they can to make it happen. I’m so incredibly proud of this team for winning a sectional. Mostly, though, I’m relieved.”

The Wildkits lived up to their No. 1 sectional seed and kept their season alive in a year where they didn’t figure to take another trip to State. Especially after losing three of their first four games with a new cast of players trying to fill the big shoes of the graduated standouts who accounted for a state runner-up finish a year ago.

Since that slow start, however, Evanston’s only loss came by a 12-8 margin back on April 12th — against Stevenson.

“We had to have a new goalie step in for one that was No. 1 in the state, and this is a completely different team from last year,” Hatcher noted. “But they worked very, very hard in the club season and in the summer and winter after getting a taste of what we did last year. Most of them didn’t play in the close games last year, but getting a taste of what we did last year lit a fire in a lot of these girls.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but they were ready to step up. This team has really only been together for one winter and I can’t say enough about them. Defense has always been our foundation and those early losses were all by one or two goals. I thought it was just a product of them playing together for the first time.

“I wasn’t worried early on after those losses. We talked about how unrealistic it was to compare yourself to a team that only lost three games (2024). That was crazy and that’s not something we wanted to carry around with us. The beginning of the season is always about getting experience playing together, getting in game shape and figuring things out. And we could have won all of those games.”

That includes that mid-April meeting with Stevenson. Evanston actually led the game entering the fourth period before the Pats fought back with six goals to snatch victory from defeat.

The two teams met in last year’s state championship game and Stevenson has dominated postseason competition in girls polo, winning six of the last nine IHSA state crowns. But being on the same side of the state tourney bracket with the Pats doesn’t faze Hatcher’s squad.

“We all feel that we’re hungry for some payback,” said Hatcher. “We’ll prepare like we always do. They’re just another team and we’re capable of beating any team if we play together and fight.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stellar individual performances on Saturday at the 2025 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships powered Montana State’s track and field teams to runner-up finishes at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. 

Montana State’s women finished second for the seventh consecutive conference meet, a stretch that dates back to the 2022 Big Sky outdoor championship. 

The Bobcat women finished Saturday with 158.5 points, the second-largest total in program history behind only the 176 points scored in 2003—the last year they won the Big Sky title. 

No. 28 Northern Arizona secured their fifth straight team championship on the women’s side, scoring 222 points. 

Montana State was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field, with Montana a distant third scoring 100 points. 

Montana State’s men finished second on Saturday, securing their fifth straight top-two finish at the outdoor Big Sky Championships. 

The Bobcats closed with 154 points, their fourth-most at the conference championships in program history. 

Northern Arizona secured the team title, scoring 227.5 points. Third-place Montana scored 107 points, with fourth-place Weber State scoring 77 points. 

Montana State added four event champions on Saturday in Sacramento, with wins in the men’s pole vault (Colby Wilson), men’s 1,500 meters (Harvey Cramb), men’s 4×100 meter relay (Stryder Todd-Fields, Xavier Simpson, Drake Wilkes, Noah Barbery), and men’s 4×400 meter relay (Michael Swan Jr., Stryder Todd-Fields, Nash Coley, Jett Grundy) 

Wilson, a redshirt senior from Olympia, Washington, competing in his final Big Sky championship meet, won his fifth conference title in the pole vault. 

The Big Sky’s indoor and outdoor championship meet record-holder felt some late pressure from Montana’s Carson Weeden, who cleared a school-record bar at 17-04.50 to put the onus on Wilson to clear another bar. 

Wilson had missed once at 17-04.50 before passing, so had just two attempts available to try and clear 17-06.50. After a miss at that height, it came down to one last try to secure the gold. 

The veteran came through, going up-and-over the bar to clinch his fifth championship title in the pole vault. 

On the track in the first event on Saturday, the MSU men’s 4×100 meter relay team of Stryder Todd-Fields, Xavier Simpson, Drake Wilkes, and Noah Barbery electrified the crowd with a thrilling race, as Barbery’s anchor leg powered the Cats down the final stretch to a win in 40.44 seconds. 

The top five teams all crossed the line within a half second of one another, but it was the Cats who got the lean for the gold—the first men’s outdoor 4×100 relay win from Montana State since 2012. 

Less than 20 minutes later, Harvey Cramb pulled off a spectacular victory of his own, winning the men’s 1,500 meter crown and de-throning 11-time Big Sky champion Colin Sahlman of Northern Arizona in the process. 

Cramb, a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, jumped out to the early lead and executed his gameplan to perfection, maintaining an advantage throughout the race and holding off Sahlman’s kick with one of his own to secure the gold. 

Cramb, who has run the No. 2 fastest time in school history and ranks No. 28 in NCAA Division I this year, is the first Bobcat champion in the event since Cristian Soratos (2015). 

Cramb followed up that emotional win with a gutty runner-up finish in the 800 meters a short while later, as Sahlman got a measure of revenge with the event title. 

Cramb tied with junior thrower Elijah Jackman for the men’s team-lead in points contributed this weekend, with each scoring 18 towards the Montana State total. 

In the final event of the day, the men’s 4×400 meter relay closed out the competition in resounding fashion with a gold medal-clinching race. 

With legs run by Michael Swan Jr., Stryder Todd-Fields, Nash Coley, and Jett Grundy, Montana State replicated their win in the event from the 2024 team title-clinching run, with Coley replacing the lap run by Janis Pohl last May in Bozeman. 

Just like last year, it was Grundy on the anchor holding off Montana down the last straightaway to get atop the podium. 

Todd-Fields walked away from Saturday with two gold medals running legs on both relays, adding a sixth-place finish in the 200 meters. 

SATURDAY’S ALL-BIG SKY HONORS 

• Jaeden Wolff was a points machine for the Bobcats, finishing second in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. The junior from Billings, Montana, also ran a spectacular anchor leg on the women’s 4×100 meter relay, nearly walking down Northern Arizona’s anchor but settling for a thrilling second-place finish in that event. With the three medals on Saturday, Wolff has now earned eight career All-Big Sky honors, and finished the meet as the Cats’ high-point scorer (18 points). 

• Caroline Hawkes, a junior from San Clemente, California, also finished second in the 400 meters on Saturday to earn her ninth career All-Big Sky award 

• Peyton Garrison, a junior from New Castle, Colorado, also finished third in the 200 meters to join Jaeden Wolff on the podium in that event. 

• Following up her second-place finish in the discus on Friday, sophomore Sydney Brewster placed third in the women’s shot put on Saturday 

• Easton Hatleberg, a freshman from Grandview, Texas, finished second in the men’s shot put. It capped a big week for the now two-time shot put silver medalist, who also scored points in the javelin (7th) and hammer throw (5th). 

• Elijah Jackman, a junior from Tigard, Oregon, finished second in the men’s hammer throw one day after finishing second in the men’s discus. It marks the fourth career All-Big Sky honor for the big man, and the third of 2025. 

• Millie Hubbell, a junior from Littleton, Colorado, placed second in the women’s 100 meter hurdles to claim silver. It’s the second career runner-up finish in the hurdles for Hubbell, who placed second in the 60 meter hurdles at the indoor championships in February. Hubbell also placed seventh in the 400 meter hurdles on Saturday. 

THE RUNDOWN 

• After running the anchor leg on the champion 4×100 meter relay team, Noah Barbery placed fifth in the men’s 100 meter final 

• In addition to running legs on both the champion 4×100 and 4×400 meter relay teams, Stryder Todd-Fields placed sixth in the men’s 200 meters 

• Annie Kaul placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters with a time of 2:08.00, tied for the second-fastest time in school history. Jada Zorn placed eighth. 

• One day after winning his seconds straight 3,000 meter steeplechase title, Rob McManus finished fourth in the men’s 1,500 meters behind his champion teammate Harvey Cramb. Sam Ells placed fifth to put three Bobcats in the top-five in the event. 

• One day after finishing seventh in the men’s long jump, Destiny Nkeonye finished fifth in the triple jump 

UP NEXT 

Montana State will send a large contingent of qualifiers to the NCAA West First Rounds, hosted in College Station, Texas, from May 28-31. 

The full list of qualifiers, which include the top-48 marks from both the West and East regions, will be announced on Wednesday. 

Last season, Montana State sent a school-record 23 Bobcats to the NCAA West First Rounds. 

#GoCatsGo 

CLOVIS, Calif. — Utah State track & field claimed two titles and eight medals, earned 93 team points and posted two performances that rank in the top 10 in school history on the third and final day of the 2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Clovis, California, on Saturday.
 
“We’re really proud of how our kids competed,” said Artie Gulden, USU’s director of track & field and cross country. “Having two conference champions and lots of all-conference kids is great. Our athletes broke two school records on the women’s side and set multiple all-time top-10 marks. Logan broke his own meet record in the vault in less than favorable conditions for vaulting.”
 
On a windy evening at Veterans Memorial Stadium, junior Logan Hammer won the men’s pole vault competition with his clearance of 5.65 meters (18-6.5), earning the fifth Mountain West title of his career. He broke his own meet record of 5.62 meters (18-5.25), set at last year’s championships. Of the seven clearances of 5.65 meters (18-6.5) by collegiate pole vaulters during the 2025 outdoor season, Hammer now owns four of them, all of which have come in his last four competitions. Junior Marshall Rasmussen cleared 5.11 meters (16-9.25) to win the silver medal, his second of the 2025 campaign. Junior Javin Richards jumped a height of 4.96 meters (16-9.25) to win bronze and complete the Utah State podium sweep.
 
Utah State continued its recent dominance of the men’s 800 meters on Saturday. Sophomore Landon Bott, the gold medalist at the 2025 indoor championships, claimed another title with his winning time of 1:49.68. Bott held the lead despite a late charge from the runner-up, New Mexico’s Matthew Endrody. Graduate Brennan Benson, who won the 2023 title in the event, won bronze with his time of 1:51.27, securing his seventh career medal at the Mountain West Championships. Junior Ernest Green rounded out the Aggie scorers, finishing fourth with a time of 1:51.59.
 
Aggie throwers claimed the silver and bronze medals in the men’s discus. Senior Nate Franz had three personal-best throws in his first three attempts, with his third mark of 57.13 meters (187-5) earning him second place in the competition. Sophomore teammate Joseph Turner earned his second career MW medal in the discus, throwing a personal record of 56.37 meters (184-11) to claim third place. Franz moved into fourth in Utah State history with his performance, while Turner’s personal-best mark ranks sixth all-time. Air Force’s Texas Tanner won the competition with a mark of 63.59 meters (208-7), breaking an 18-year-old meet record.
 
Freshman Ayodele Ojo claimed his first career Mountain West medal in the 100 meters, running in 10.32 seconds to finish second in the race. With a lean forward at the finish line, Ojo beat out the third-place runner, Air Force’s Javin Bostic, by 0.002 seconds. Freshman Daniel Chase added to the Aggie scoring in the event, clocking in at 10.47 to finish seventh. New Mexico’s Cam Watts, who played cornerback for the Lobos under current Utah State head football coach Bronco Mendenhall, won the title with a winning time of 10.23.
 
Freshman Diego Aguirre-Stewart and Ojo claimed sixth and seventh place in the men’s 200 meters, finishing in 20.99 and 21.08, respectively. Collectively, Utah State’s freshman sprinters Aguirre-Stewart, Chase and Ojo earned 25 team points for the Aggies. San José State’s Cameron Tarver won the 200-meter title, clocking in at 20.54.
 
Sophomore Joshua Armstrong scored the Aggies’ first track points of Championship Saturday, running the 1,500-meter final in 3:47.01 to finish seventh in the field. New Mexico’s Collins Kiprotich won the title in the event with a time of 3:41.05, beating teammate Habtom Samuel by 0.02 seconds.
 
Junior Krysthina Vlahovic continued her run of solid performances in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing in 13.96 to take sixth place in the field. Vlahovic has placed sixth in the event at three consecutive Mountain West Championships. San Diego State’s Jada Pierre won the race with a time of 13.12.
 
Senior Adi Nielson secured her best individual finish of her Utah State career, running the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.96 to earn a sixth-place finish in the final. Fresno State’s Jewel Ash won the event title with her time of 57.63.
 
Senior Emma Thornley capped off her tremendous Mountain West career by finishing sixth in the women’s 5,000 meters, running her race in 16:18.50. The Utah State record holder in the event scored at the conference championships for the sixth time in her Aggie career. New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei won the title with a time of 15:50.96, leading a group of six Lobos in the top eight.
 
In the women’s 200 meters, senior Emma Reeves earned the first individual point of her Aggie career, taking eighth place in the race with a time of 23.92. UNLV’s Kennedi Porter, who was named the Women’s Outstanding Track Performer of the Year, won the race with a time of 22.95, her third gold medal of the day.
 
The championships concluded with the women’s and men’s 4×400-meter relays. On the women’s side, the crew of Reeves, Nielson, junior Alison Richter and freshman Mashaylee Jones, who set the Utah State record last week, finished in fourth place with a time of 3:42.20. The Aggie men’s team of Aguirre-Stewart, Ernest Green, Benson and Bott, who had not competed in the event all season, finished seventh with a time of 3:17.91. New Mexico swept both relays, winning the women’s race in 3:35.54 and the men’s in 3:13.68.
 
The Utah State men finished in third place with 114.5 points, their highest team finish since 2021. The women’s team placed ninth in the team competition with 38 points. Colorado State and New Mexico completed their sweeps of the Mountain West men’s and women’s team titles, with the Rams’ men earning 192.5 points and the Lobo women accumulating 153 points.
 
“From a team perspective, it’s great that the men finished third,” said Gulden. “We had a number of guys step up to help us do that. The women collectively had a rough day today, and our team performance isn’t indicative of how good our team is. But at the end of the day, we did not get it done and we have to improve moving forward.”
 
Utah State’s individual athletes will await their postseason fate, with invited athletes set to compete at the NCAA West First Rounds in College Station, Texas, from Wednesday to Saturday, May 28-31.
 
Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships – Day 3
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Clovis, California | May 17, 2025
 
USU Men’s Results:
 

Event	USU Finishers (scorers in bold)
100 Meters	2. Ayodele Ojo, 10.32; 7. Daniel Chase, 10.47.
200 Meters	6. Diego Aguirre-Stewart, 20.99; 7. Ayodele Ojo, 21.08.
800 Meters	1. Landon Bott, 1:49.68; 3. Brennan Benson, 1:51.37; 4. Ernest Green, 1:51.59; 9. Sam Green, 1:52.09.
1,500 Meters	7. Joshua Armstrong, 3:47.01; 10. Wyatt Evans, 3:48.44.
5,000 Meters	10. Camren Todd, 13:56.87; 15. LJ Floyd, 14:12.93; 19. Joshua McKee, 14:29.27; 21. John Simmons, 14:33.28; 25. Drew Hogan, 14:43.97; 26. Eric Nelson, 14:48.42; 28. Wyatt Evans, 15:14.39; Bryce Hill, DNS; Joshua Armstrong, DNS; Garrett Woodhouse, DNS; Logan Garnica, DNS.
Pole Vault	1. Logan Hammer, 5.65 meters (18-6.5); 2. Marshall Rasmussen, 5.11 meters (16-9.25); 3. Javin Richards, 4.96 meters (16-3.25); 11. Caden Dupee, 4.41 meters (14-5.5).
Triple Jump	9. Samuel Beckwith, 13.93 meters (45-8.5); Joshua Hartvigsen, DNS.
Discus	2. Nate Franz, 57.13 meters (187-5.25); 3. Joseph Turner, 56.37 meters (184-11.25).
4×400 Relay	7. Utah State (Diego Aguirre-Stewart, Ernest Green, Brennan Benson, Landon Bott), 3:17.91.
4×100 Relay	Utah State (Daniel Chase, Ayodele Ojo, Mathew Hall, Diego Aguirre-Stewart), DNF.

 
USU Women’s Results:
 

Event	USU Finishers (scorers in bold)
200 Meters	8. Emma Reeves, 23.92.
400 Meters	9. Mashaylee Jones, 55.69.
1,500 Meters	10. Hannah Davidson, 4:30.30; 11. Caroline Moon, 4:31.70.
5,000 Meters	6. Emma Thornley, 16:18.50; 21. Cailey Bracken, 16:54.94; 24. Liz Phillips, 16:56.68; Hannah Davidson, DNS; Ana Weaver, DNS; Shelby Jensen, DNS; Caroline Moon, DNS; Brianne Smith, DNS; Sarah Ellis, DNS.
100-Meter Hurdles	6. Krysthina Vlahovic, 13.96; 9. Claire Petersen, 14.36.
400-Meter Hurdles	6. Adi Nielson, 1:00.96.
High Jump	11. Presley Gray, 1.60 meters (5-3).
Discus	9. Milly Garren, 47.05 meters (154-4.25); 10. Ruby Jordan, 40.89 meters (134-1.75).
4×400 Relay	4. Utah State (Emma Reeves, Adi Nielson, Alison Richter, Mashaylee Jones), 3:42.20.
4×100 Relay	Utah State (Mashaylee Jones, Emma Reeves, Breanna Raven, Camryn Ere), DNF.

 
-USU-
 

(KMAland) — Dr. Ted Goudge, a Shenandoah native and retired Associate Professor of Geography at Northwest Missouri State University, has released his latest geography map.

NCAA Men’s Volleyball has been crowning a national team championship in the spring since 1970. Long Beach State won their fourth title on May 12th, defeating UCLA. There are currently 34 Div. I and II teams accounting for 686 players. The per capita production of NCAA men’s volleyball players results in a regional pattern greater in coastal states and the Heartland. Fourteen states are without any men’s players. Hawaii dominates with over eleven times the national average.  Illinois is next with almost three times the norm followed by California, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Rhode Island.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Central Arkansas Bears made program history in Jacksonville this past weekend, sweeping the 2025 ASUN Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Both teams winning its first Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).

The UCA men’s team scored a commanding 225.5 points, finishing well ahead of Lipscomb (141) and North Florida (130). The Bears were electric across the board, winning eight events and sweeping several podiums.

Jeremiah Boudreaux earned Most Valuable Performer honors after scoring 27 points, including wins in the 110m Hurdles (13.98) and 200m (20.95). He also ran a leg on the championship 4x100m Relay.

Head Coach Josey Weaver was named the ASUN Men’s Coach of the Year, leading UCA to its first men’s team title in ASUN history.

Men’s Event Champions (UCA):

The UCA women’s team totaled 192 points to secure their first-ever ASUN Outdoor Track & Field Championship, finishing well ahead of Lipscomb (132) and Eastern Kentucky (97). The Bears showed strength in sprints, throws, vaults, and relays.

Coach Josey Weaver was also named ASUN Women’s Coach of the Year, becoming the first in program history to lead both teams to titles in the same season.

Women’s Event Champions (UCA):

This is the first time Central Arkansas has swept both men’s and women’s outdoor track & field titles since joining the ASUN. The championship weekend highlighted UCA’s remarkable growth, depth, and competitive edge on the conference stage.

Three Cumbrian swimmers have been inducted into the county’s hall of fame.

Ian Powley, Colin Hill, and Chloe Wilcox, members of Penrith Swimming Club, were honoured for their exceptional lifelong contributions to aquatic sport.

They join fellow Penrith Swimming Club figures Rosie Huggon and the late Jenny Birtle, who were inducted earlier this year.

Ian, a stalwart of Penrith Swimming Club, has dedicated over six decades to the development of swimming in Penrith and across Cumbria.

Beginning his journey at the Frenchfield Pool on the River Eamont aged 14, Ian has served in numerous leadership roles at the club, including chairman, referee, gala organiser, county and regional representative, and currently as club president.

Now 84, he still coaches voluntarily three nights a week.

A former president of Cumbria ASA (2005–2006), Ian’s contributions have been recognised through numerous awards, including the Swim England North West Long Service Award and the Cumbria Sports Award for Service to Sport.

He remains a pillar of the local swimming community, presenting trophies at the club’s annual awards and giving his name to the Ian Powley Cup.

Colin began his swimming journey at a young age but has since become an internationally recognised figure in open water swimming.

A coach, competitor, and event organiser, Colin was technical operations manager for the London 2012 Olympic Marathon Swim and went on to found SwimSecure and Chillswim, the company behind iconic events such as the Big Chill Swim and Coniston End to End.

He also directs Ullswater Swim Place, promoting open water swimming year-round.

Colin is a decorated ice swimmer, the first UK male to complete an IISA Ice Mile and a multiple international medallist.

He trains regularly with Penrith Swimming Club’s Masters squad. His achievements have earned him a place in both the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and the Ice Swimming Hall of Fame.

Chloe Wilcox, who began her competitive journey with Penrith Swimming Club, went on to captain Great Britain’s first ever Olympic Women’s Water Polo team at the London 2012 Games, scoring seven goals across six matches.

Her early water polo experience was developed through local clubs then Sheffield clubs, before joining the Grantham Water Polo Academy.

She has played professionally in Spain and Australia and has also coached GB women’s teams.

Chloe now works as director of aquatics at a school in Australia.

Ian Richardson, president of Cumbria ASA, said: “The Cumbria Swimming Hall of Fame was established to recognise individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to aquatics in the county.

“It is an honour to welcome such dedicated and inspiring individuals from Penrith into our hall of fame, joining the ranks of others who have shaped the landscape of swimming in Cumbria.”

John Conery, chair of Cumbria ASA, added: “Each of these individuals has left a lasting legacy not only in Cumbria but far beyond.

“Their stories showcase the strength of community, the power of volunteering, and the heights that can be reached with passion and commitment.”