Four years ago, USA Water Polo introduced a separate national championship for Division III programs that had always had to compete against Division I foes in the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Before the sport’s governing body changed its postseason format, “A top team would end our season pretty quickly,” Sagehens Women’s Water Polo Coach Alex Rodriguez recalls.

Earlier this month, Pomona-Pitzer captured a fourth straight USA Water Polo Division III championship, defeating chief rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), 9-8, to cap yet another unblemished postseason run.

The four-peat sent Pomona College seniors Zosia Amberger ’25 and Kaylee Stigar ’25 into the sunset having never lost a playoff game in blue and orange. Amberger started in goal all four championship years and was named Tournament MVP in her farewell season.

“Zosia’s probably the best goalie I’ve ever had here,” Rodriguez says. “She’s been a huge part of what we’ve been able to do. And Kaylee Stigar played phenomenal in the finals. She really stepped up. She had this anger and vengeance that really helped us.”

As seniors, Amberger and Stigar were among the class of Sagehens that started at Pomona when students returned to campus following the initial pandemic shutdown. In that first year as Sagehens, Rodriguez says the current seniors learned much from the Class of 2022, including how to lead and handle adversity.

As much winning as the program’s done these past four years, the pressure to retain the top spot in Division III mounts, Rodriguez says.

“I have a simple philosophy that to get better, you have to play better teams,” the coach adds. “Because our sport is small, we play a lot of Division I teams early in the season, and that’s how we develop small goals. To be clutch, to be someone who plays well in big moments, you have to understand you’re going to fail sometimes.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Rodriguez adds. “You just keep going forward.”

Despite losing Pomona grads Amberger, Stigar and a handful of seniors from Pitzer College, the Sagehens do not expect to relinquish their stranglehold on Division III women’s water polo anytime soon.

Rodriguez and Associate Head Coach Alex La—one of the best coaches in Division III, Rodriguez says—expect Mia Amberger ’26, Brienz Lang ’26 and Gabby Lewis ’26 to assume leadership roles next season, and key underclassmen from this year’s team will continue to develop at the collegiate level.

“The goal of every season is to try to have little championship moments every week,” Rodriguez says. “We try to prepare to win certain types of games, get more feathers in our cap, then win a Division III championship by the end.”

Three members of the Colorado College men’s track and field team were selected to the 2025 Division III All-West Region teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Juniors Rabbit Barnes (800 and 1500) and Josh Williams (200 and 400), and sophomore Will Shuflit (5K and 10K) were each named all-region in two events.

 

All three will compete this weekend at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Geneva, Ohio. Barnes, who holds the region’s best time in the 800 and second-fastest in the 1500, will only run in the 1500 at the national meet.

 

Williams, meanwhile, will participate in the 400 at the DIII Championships after recording the fifth-fastest times in region in the 200 and 400 this season.

 

Shuflit, who has the top region time in the 10K and third-best in the 5K, will run the 10K at the NCAA Championships.

 

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Volleyball is scheduled to compete in the inaugural Shriners Children’s ‘Showdown at the Net’ on Wednesday, Sept. 10 against Louisville as part of the ACC/SEC Clash at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. As part of the challenge series, the Shriners Children’s ‘Showdown at the Net’ will include Texas, Louisville, Pitt and Kentucky. The Longhorns and Cardinals match will be streamed live on ESPN at 8 p.m. CT.

“This is an exciting time for our sport and this matchup will be one the fans don’t want to miss,” Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “This is the fastest growing sport, and with these high-level matchups we continue to see across the NCAA, it will only get bigger.”

September’s match will be just the sixth meeting between the two historic programs with Texas holding the 4-1 advantage. The last time the two teams met was in the 2022 NCAA Championship match where Texas went on to win its first of two back-to-back titles. The Longhorns swept the Cardinal, 3-0 and earned its fourth national title and first since 2012.

Louisville went back to the NCAA Championship last season and finished as the runner-up to Penn State.

Along with the four-team “Showdown”, the remainder of the squads across the two leagues will face off in an SEC/ACC Challenge with matchups featured on ESPN2, SEC Network, ACC Network, SEC Network+ and ACCNX.

Tickets for the Fort Worth event are set to go on-sale early this summer, but fans are encouraged to sign up for pre-sale alerts via www.showdownatthenet.com.

Shriners Children’s Hospital serves as the title sponsor of the event taking place at Dickies Arena, adding to their portfolio of ESPN Events.

Eight members of the Colorado College women’s track and field team were selected to the 2025 Division III All-West Region teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Senior Isabel Olson (1500 and 5K) and junior Alison Mueller-Hickler (5K and 10K) were each named all-region in two events, while seniors Sydney Rankin (5K) and Britt Helgaas (10K), juniors Ella Fullerton (800) and Clara Lippert (400) and sophomores Charlie Flint (10K) and Allison Barker (800) also earned a spot this season.

 

To be named all-region, an athlete must either be ranked in the top five of an individual event in the region according to final TFRRS (Track and Field Results Reporting System) data or be part of a top-three relay team.

 

Olson is ranked No. 2 in both the 1500 and 5K and will compete in both events this weekend at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Geneva, Ohio. Mueller-Hickler is second in the 10K and fifth in the 5K and she will run the 10K at the NCAA national meet.

 

Rankin is in the No. 3 spot in the region for the 5K, while Fullerton is third and Barker fifth in the 800, Flint and Helgaas fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 800 and Lippert fifth in the 400.

 

The eight all-region selections are the most in program history for one season.

 

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte Volleyball Head Coach Benavia Jenkins has announced the hiring of Cole Rouse as the Director of Volleyball Operations.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome Cole as our new Director of Volleyball Operations,” said Jenkins. “He is incredibly organized, a fast learner, and already well-respected by both the team and staff. Cole brings great energy to everything he does and is fun to work with. I am excited for what’s ahead with him on board!

Rouse graduated from Charlotte in 2024 with a degree in communications after working in the program throughout college as a technical and video coordinator.

“I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter and grateful for the opportunity to continue growing in the game I love,” said Rouse. “I want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, especially my mentors, my family, and the teams that have helped shape me. I want to especially thank Coach Jenkins and the staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to work alongside a legendary staff! I am ready to get to work and make an impact.”

For all the latest updates on Charlotte Volleyball, follow the Niners on Instagram and X at @CharlotteWVB.