*ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RELEASE COURTESY WeCOACH*

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference coaches will attend this year’s NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA), hosted by WeCOACH: Clarion Men’s and Women’s Swimming head coach Brehan Kelley, Millersville Field Hockey assistant coach Erica Metz, and Kutztown Women’s Soccer assistant coach Madeline Reed. Reed was also the recipient of the Margueritte Aozasa Legacy Coach Academy Scholarship, awarded as one of multiple legacy scholarships that honor the memory of the trailblazing women coaches who came before.

Set to take place May 18-21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado and hosted in collaboration with the NCAA, the WeCOACH Academies offer multi-day transformational experiences focused on leadership development and personal growth for women coaches from all sports and collegiate levels, including both two-year and four-year institutions.  

A total of 103 women coaches will convene in Denver, with 85 participating in WCA and 18 engaging in the advanced Academy 2.0 program. 

These women represent 24 different sports and come from a diverse range of institutions including NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, 3C2A, NJCAA, and NWAC. 

“The NCAA is proud to continue its partnership with WeCOACH to host the 2025 NCAA Women Coaches Academy and NCAA Academy 2.0,” said DeeDee Merritt, NCAA Managing Director of Leadership Development. “The NCAA remains committed to educating and empowering student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators through transformative experiences that foster effective leadership, promote inclusive excellence, and strengthen the college sports landscape. These academies align seamlessly with our mission and have consistently delivered meaningful outcomes in the support, advancement, and retention of women coaches in collegiate athletics. WeCOACH continues to be an invaluable partner in providing development and community for women coaches. Through collaborations like this, we are able to expand our reach and deepen our impact.”  

A highlight of this year’s Academies will be the presentation of the 2024-25 Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented by Jostens, recognizing five outstanding women coaches for their enduring impact on the profession. Attendees will also gain insights and inspiration during a keynote conversation with the honorees.  

“The Academy experience is nothing short of transformational,” said Vanessa Fuchs, CEO of WeCOACH. “Our participants leave feeling renewed and equipped with tools, strategies, and a powerful sisterhood of support. Data shows our graduates remain in the coaching profession at rates well above the national average—and that’s the kind of impact we aim to scale. Thanks to our generous donors, we’re proud to have awarded more than $39,000 in scholarship funding for Denver participants to expand access and support participation.”  

Since its inception, more than 2,300 coaches have graduated from the NCAA WCA. The program centers on holistic leadership development, providing women coaches with the skills, confidence, and community to elevate their effectiveness both personally and professionally. Academy 2.0, an advanced program exclusively for WCA alumnae, offers a deeper dive into leadership and professional growth in a highly interactive, small-group setting.  

WeCOACH extends deep gratitude to the NCAA for its longstanding support. WeCOACH also wants to extend thanks to this year’s generous Academy Partners whose support makes these programs possible: Gatorade, Hudl, Marines, Simple Modern, Jostens, Alex Morgan Foundation, Athlete Assessments, Bakline, Betsy Butterick – the Coaches’ Coach, Equitable Advisors – Latrice Smith, Legends of the Ball, Natasha Watley Foundation, NOX, Return on Inclusion, The Sports Bra Project, This One Media, and Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport.  

Several conferences and sport associations also stepped up to support our Academies as sponsors: Atlantic 10 Conference, Big Ten Conference, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), Horizon League, Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), Pac-12 Conference, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), and Sunshine State Conference (SSC).  

May 19-21 NCAA Women Coaches Academy Class #54 Participants:  

Claire Abele | Butte College – Head Coach, Soccer   

Devan Acosta | Hanover College – Head Coach, Golf  

Lindsay Allman | Florida State University – Associate Head Coach, Volleyball  

Lauryn Andrew | Concordia University-Irvine – Graduate Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Miranda Armstrong | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges – Associate Head Coach, Soccer  

Sloane Baumgartner | Elmhurst University – Head Coach, Lacrosse  

Emily Bitka | Daemen University – Head Coach, Lacrosse  

Jenn Blomme | Whitman College – Head Coach, Swimming  

Eileen Bringman | Cornell University – Associate Head Coach, Swimming & Diving  

Laura Broderick | Yale University – Assistant Coach, Cross Country, Track & Field  

Jasmine Brown | Oberlin College – Head Coach, Volleyball  

Lynnzee Brown | Pennsylvania State University – Assistant Coach, Gymnastics  

Daiysa Burrell | Norfolk State University – Assistant Coach, XC, Track & Field  

Kendra Bush | Rochester Institute of Technology – Assistant Coach, XC, Track & Field  

Karen Byers | Seattle Pacific University – Head Coach, Basketball  

Jasmine Chambers | South Carolina State University – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Erin Chrissobolis | Ohio Northern University – Assistant Coach, Swimming & Diving  

Adeline Chung-Feder | Wagner College – Assistant Coach, Fencing  

Shannon Coughlin | UW Green Bay – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Alexandria Courtney | Minot State University – Head Coach, Volleyball  

Vinsetta Covington | Kentucky State University – Assistant Coach, Basketball  

Chloe Curtis | Loyola Marymount University – Head Coach, XC, Track & Field  

Jeanne Czipri | Central College (Iowa) – Head Coach, Volleyball  

Jessica Darmelio | Carmel High School – Head Coach, Basketball  

Arla Davis | McDaniel College – Assistant Coach, Field Hockey  

Melissa DeVore | Coker University – Head Coach, Basketball  

Amy Donovan | University of Alaska Fairbanks – Head Coach, Basketball  

Kaycie Dunkerley | Lewis & Clark College – Assistant Coach, Basketball  

Maisie Elston | Mount St. Joseph University – Head Coach, Basketball  

Catherine Ely | Bryn Mawr College – Head Coach, Crew  

Uloma Enyogasi | Lynn University – Assistant Coach, Basketball  

Alyxx Estrada | Regis University – Assistant Coach, Softball  

Amanda Evans | New Mexico Highlands University – Head Coach, Soccer  

Hillary Fitts | Hofstra University – Head Coach, Field Hockey  

Allison Fordyce | Susquehanna University – Head Coach, Field Hockey  

Marissa Fortuna | St. Lawrence University – Graduate Assistant Coach, Soccer  

Lindsey Garcia | Occidental College – Head Coach, Water Polo  

Mahogany Green | Hamilton College – Head Coach, Basketball  

Katie Guns | St. Norbert College – Head Coach, Soccer  

Elyssa Hawkins | Biola University – Assistant Coach, Water Polo  

Madison Heck | Virginia Wesleyan University – Head Coach, Lacrosse  

Shirlynn Hight | Talladega College – Head Coach, Acrobatics & Tumbling  

Gabrielle Holko | Susquehanna University – Head Coach, Basketball  

Katie Horton | Florida State University – Director of Operations, Beach Volleyball  

Cornysia Island | University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Kellis Johnson | Dominican University – Assistant Coach, Soccer  

Jenna Kalwa | University of Saint Joseph – Head Coach, Soccer  

Maile’ana Kanewa-Hermelyn | University of Michigan – Assistant Coach, Gymnastics  

Brehan Kelley | PennWest Clarion – Head Coach, Swimming  

Abigail Kemble | Eastern University – Head Coach, Field Hockey  

Nina Klein | Quinnipiac University – Head Coach, Field Hockey  

Megan Kronschnabel | Claremont Mudd Scripps – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Courtney Kust | Hope College – Associate Head Coach, Basketball  

Moneshia McKenney | Clemson University – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Erica Metz | Millersville University – Assistant Coach, Field Hockey  

Baylee Mires | University of Louisville – Assistant Coach, XC, Track & Field  

Brittney Morris | St. Mary’s College of Maryland – Head Coach, Lacrosse  

Raina Nolan | Emmanuel University – Head Coach, Acrobatics & Tumbling  

Haley Overstreet | Sewanee, The University of the South – Head Coach, Field Hockey  

Sara Pasour | University of North Carolina at Pembroke – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Kate Pearson | Rowan University – Head Coach, Basketball  

Ana Pego | Quinnipiac University – Assistant Coach, Volleyball  

Barbara Perkins | University of Denver – Head Coach, Triathlon  

Megan Rabenberg | Loyola University Maryland – Assistant Coach, Rowing  

Madeline Reed | Kutztown University – Assistant Coach, Soccer  

Erin Reeves | Colby College – Head Coach, Tennis  

Kaitlyn Reny | University of Redlands – Assistant Coach, Swimming & Diving  

Kelly Rider | Curry College – Head Coach, Hockey  

Toccara Ross | Central Michigan University – Assistant Coach, Basketball  

Erin Schneidtmiller | University of Louisville – Assistant Coach, Field Hockey  

Katelyn Sherman | Ave Maria University – Head Coach, Lacrosse  

Janelle Silver-Martin | Florida Gulf Coast University – Assistant Coach, Basketball  

Katie Smith | Xavier University – Head Coach, Soccer  

Claire Sporer | Michigan State University – Strength Coach, Basketball  

Hannah Tepper | Trinity College – Assistant Coach, Field Hockey  

Arli Tilves | Carnegie Mellon University – Assistant Coach, Swimming  

Julieta Toledo | The Ohio State University – Assistant Coach, Fencing  

Arieon Trinity | Agnes Scott College – Head Coach, Volleyball  

Melissa Valenzuela | Illinois Wesleyan University – Head Coach, Flag Football  

Amy Vaughan | Nova Southeastern University – Head Coach, Soccer  

Jae-Lyn Visscher | University of South Florida – Assistant Coach, Beach Volleyball  

Lauren Voigt | The College of Wooster – Head Coach, Field Hockey  

Janice Washington | Lincoln University – Head Coach, Basketball  

Shannon Witzel | Spalding University – Head Coach, Lacrosse  

Doshia Woods | University of Denver – Head Coach, Basketball  

For the first time since returning to in-person Academies after the COVID-19 pandemic, WeCOACH will host a second Women Coaches Academy in Indianapolis at the NCAA National Office from November 16-18. Applications are currently open for WCA Class #55 in Indianapolis. 

ABOUT the NCAA

The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for more than half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association and the corporate partnerships that support the NCAA and its student-athletes.

ABOUT WeCOACH 

Founded in 2011, WeCOACH is a one-of-a-kind 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches in all sports and levels through year-round professional growth & leadership development programs. Prior to Title IX, over 90% of women’s collegiate sports teams were coached by women. Today, over 50 years later, the data indicates that number has decreased to 41% across all three NCAA Divisions, with only 7% women head coaches of color. Only 5% women coach men’s teams. At the youth level, the data is hard to estimate, approximately less than 20% of teams are coached by women. WeCOACH launched MOVE the NUMBERS in 2022 to help change the landscape for women coaches and the student-athletes they lead. If she can see her, she can be her. For more information visit MOVE the NUMBERS. 

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Nineteen members of the St. Olaf College men’s track and field team were recognized for their performances at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 2025 MIAC Track & Field Awards, as announced on Thursday.

At the outdoor conference meet last week, St. Olaf recorded seven All-MIAC (places 1-3) individual performances, one All-MIAC relay, nine Honorable Mention All-MIAC (places 4-6) individual showings, and one honorable-mention relay. The Oles finished third in the team standings at the meet.

Junior Lance Nemecek and senior Andrew Skemp accounted for St. Olaf’s two first-place individual finishes, as Nemecek won the 800-meter run and Skemp won the 10,000-meter run. The Oles also won the 4×800-meter relay with the quartet of first year Jackson Bullock, senior Sean Hartney, junior Zach Martin, and first year Austin McInturff.

Below is a complete list of St. Olaf’s honorees in the 2025 MIAC Track & Field Awards.

 

Valley City State volleyball has released its fall schedule to mark the Vikings’ debut season in the Frontier Conference, head coach Michelle Meiklejohn announced.
 
The Vikings open the season at home on Aug. 16 against Dakota Wesleyan University. VCSU then travels to Sioux City, Iowa to face Morningside University in a non-conference game before competing at the Siouxland Invitational Aug. 22-23.
 
VCSU kicks off the Frontier Conference schedule on Sept. 3 when the Vikings host Mayville State. VCSU will play 22 games in the Frontier Conference season, including 11 home and 11 away contests. Frontier Conference member schools include Mayville State, Bismarck State, Dickinson State, Dakota State, Bellevue University, Montana Western, Montana Tech, Montana State University Northern, University of Providence, Rocky Mountain College and Carroll College.
 
The Vikings will recognize Faculty and Staff during its home game against Montana Western on Sept. 5. Parent’s Night is scheduled for Oct. 25 when VCSU hosts Rocky Mountain College and Senior Day will on Nov. 8 for its season finale against Dakota State.
 
The Frontier Conference Postseason Tournament is slated for Nov. 13-15 hosted by Carroll College in Helena, Mont.
 
View the complete 2025 VCSU Volleyball Schedule
 

The venue and some history

Bridlington is a seaside coast in the East Riding of Yorkshire and is situated on the East Coast of England.

With history as an important Roman port and also the site of a medieval priory that can still be visited today, the town was (and still is) home to fleets of fisherman and is now most commonly known as a resort for people to get away and relax.

The beach volleyball event is being hosted on Bridlington Beach itself, with support from Skyball Beach Volleyball Club, which is based in the town.

The club regularly hosts UK Beach Tour events each summer and will stage the Yorkshire Series and Four-Star Northern Open this year. 

Although the South Beach, where volleyball is played does not have a postcode, the postcode for the nearby Princess Mary Promenade is Y015 3LG. 

England last hosted a NEVZA event in 2018 when the NEVZA U17 and U19 Championships (indoor) were contested at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering. 

Prior to that, the NEVZA Senior Beach Volleyball Championships were held in Bournemouth in 2016. 

Catharyn Hayne / KLC fotos

Ruby Swadling found happiness through resilience during her senior season at Cal.

WPOLO5/15/2025 9:56 AM | By: Michael Jorgenson

Resilience Has Fueled Cal Star Ruby Swadling’s Happiness

This feature originally appeared in the 2025 Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.

 

The sound of a whistle pierces through the air on a February afternoon in Berkeley, and fans of the California women’s water polo team cheer as senior Ruby Swadling swims up to take a five-meter penalty shot.

 

Upon arriving at the spot, Swadling keeps her gaze fixed on the sideline at Spieker Aquatics Complex, waiting for her green light to shoot. The whistle blows again, and in an instant, the Golden Bears’ three-goal lead becomes four.

 

If you blinked, you missed it.

 

“She got rid of that ball so quick, Davis goalie Lucy Holland’s hands weren’t even out of the water before the ball got to the back of the net!” broadcast announcer Wes Kading remarks on the Overnght.com live stream.

 

In the grand scheme of things, this was by no means a goal carrying any sort of monumental implications. And in the context of the Bears’ 2025 season, it was just another one of many small steps in the right direction, giving them an 8-4 lead over top-10 program UC Davis on their way to an impressive 8-0 start to the year.

 

At that same moment though, more than 7,400 miles away though, Swadling’s family shared a hearty laugh over what it had just witnessed – and, what it really meant.

 

“[Kading] had never seen anyone take a penalty so quickly, and neither had I! Ruby just picked it up and threw it,” Swadling’s mother, Tessa, recalled. “I told her after the game that we were all laughing at home, it was so hilarious. She said to me, ‘Well, now I just give it a go, mum… It doesn’t matter.'”

 

In previous seasons, Swadling might have treated the penalty as seriously as if she were taking it in the fourth quarter of a tie game at the NCAA Championship. Things are different this year.

 

After arriving at Cal in January of 2020, Swadling quickly made a name for herself as one of the Bears’ top players, earning All-MPSF honors as a true freshman. Two months after earning her second consecutive ACWPC All-America honor in May of 2023, she helped her native Australia finish fourth at the World Aquatics Championships.

 

Following that experience, Swadling made the decision to take a year off from Cal, remaining in Australia to focus on training for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

 

Then, last May, as the Bears hosted the 2024 NCAA Championship – where they went on a historic run that saw them reach the national title game for the second time in program history – Swadling received the news: despite being one of the last 21 players in consideration to make Australia’s Olympic squad, she hadn’t made the final cut.

 

“That was definitely a very hard moment in my life and career, because I so easily could have said to myself, ‘I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore,'” Swadling said. “Instead, I took a few months off, spent time with my family and friends, and came back to Berkeley, where I’ve been enjoying myself and having fun playing water polo. It’s something that I’m proud of; that I’ve come back to play water polo and not let that experience define me.”

 

There is a running joke in the Swadling family: “Mum must have been scrolling through Instagram last night, because I woke up to all these motivational quotes.” It’s a lighthearted sentiment shared by Swadling and her two older siblings, Mia and Max, but one that speaks volumes about the support system their family has in place.

 

While on one hand it was a tough pill for Swadling to swallow that her efforts and sacrifices had fallen short, it was another chance to be reminded by her mother to always find the silver lining.

 

“Out of something bad comes something good.”

 

This time around, the “good” took numerous forms. Swadling was able to enjoy her longest break from water polo since she started playing competitively at the age of 11. For the first time since she joined the Bears, she was able to join her family on holiday and reconnect with old friends. And, as she enjoyed her well-deserved break from training, she realized how she felt about water polo at this stage in her career.

 

“Having so much time off, it makes you remember how much you love the sport,” Swadling said. “When you’re in the depths of training, sometimes it can be a lot. But when you’re not in the pool and you realize, ‘I miss playing. I miss my teammates,’ you realize how much you miss it, and that’s so important.”

 

Coming from a family of swimmers, Swadling grew up watching Max and Mia compete on weekends. At age 10, during one of Max’s water polo games, Swadling turned to her mother and decided that she was done with swimming.

“Water polo looks like much more fun,” she told her.

 

Swadling went on to become an elite in three different sports –  cross country, triathlon, and water polo. When the national camp schedules for triathlons and water polo eventually conflicted, she had to pick just one to continue pursuing. Her decision to go with water polo wasn’t a fluke – in fact, it was a choice that she doubled down on shortly after.

 

After completing her ninth year at SCEGGS Darlinghurst in 2016 – a distinguished private school known for its academics, but one without a sports program – Swadling again boldly chose her own path, telling her parents that she was going to transfer to St. Catherine’s School heading into year 10.

 

“We were reluctant because I went to SCEGGS, and her sister went there, but she turned to my husband and I and said, ‘I’m going. I’m going to make the appointment myself. If I want to keep playing water polo and doing well, then I have to move schools,'” Tessa said. “And so, we moved her… Well, actually, she moved herself. And It was the best thing she ever did.”

 

At St. Catherine’s – where four-time Olympian Richard Campbell served as the head of water polo and current Australia men’s national team assistant coach Andrew Yanitsas was the director of sport – Swadling gained the structure and guidance she needed as a student-athlete, and her love of water polo only continued to grow as she made larger and larger waves.

 

In 2018, playing for her lifelong club, UNSW Sydney, alongside former Arizona State star Daisy Carter and two-time Olympian Ashleigh Southern – who Swadling names as two of her most influential teammates – she helped the Killer Whales win their first-ever national championship.

 

That same year, she debuted on the international stage at the 2018 Youth World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. It was at that tournament where, for the first time, Swadling’s path to Berkeley revealed itself.

 

“Ruby was approached by one of the American universities. She had never really thought about it before,” Tessa said. “A couple of the coaches spoke to her and that’s when she became interested. We thought it was an incredible opportunity for her to get an amazing education.”

 

While Tessa claims that some Australians have a romanticized idea of the American college experience, she notes that Ruby would be the first to admit that it’s no fairy tale. From traveling halfway across the world to arriving in Berkeley during the COVID-19 pandemic, to the academic pressures that accompany attending the world’s No. 1 public university, to the self-imposed expectations of performing athletically at the highest levels, Swadling has had plenty of challenges to overcome over the past five and a half years. But she has always found a way to push past them.

 

“A big reason why I continue to move forward is because of my resilience,” Swadling said. “There are a lot of bumps in the road and a lot of challenges that I’ve had to overcome. It’s so easy to just stop and say, ‘I’m done.’ But I’m always hungry to do more things, and as long as I’ve gone out there and given everything, I can be happy with what I’ve done.”

 

When Swadling came back for her fifth year as a Cal student-athlete last August, she brought with her a balance between academic, athletic and social pursuits that was as strong as it had ever been. It’s a strength that pays huge dividends both in the pool and for her mental health.

 

“I’ve tried not to be so narrow-minded, and I’m not so stressed about everything because I know that whether it’s something with school or water polo, it’s not the end of the world,” Swadling said. “When I came back in August, I realized the class I started with was gone, and the class below me was gone. It was an entirely new team with a lot of people I had never met before, but I was welcomed back with open arms. I feel so connected with my Cal teammates and our team camaraderie is special. That definitely makes me a lot happier, and I play my best water polo when I’m happy and I’m playing free.”

 

Once Swadling’s days at Cal are over, she plans to move home to Australia with her eyes set on the next Olympic cycle. While more challenges undoubtedly await her in the pursuit of her dreams, the sacrifices she makes will be accompanied – as they always have been – by the support of her family.

 

“My parents always used to tell me to leave nothing in the tank. I’m going to keep playing water polo and we’ll see what comes of that, but I’ve definitely got some more gas left in the tank,” Swadling said. “I’m not done yet.”