JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 28, 2025) — Morgan State University junior sprinter Dante Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) faced a significant hurdle beyond his competitors at the NCAA East First Round at the University of North Florida. 

He was slated to compete in the men’s 400-meter dash, but rainstorms threw a wrench into the schedule, causing a substantial delay in the start of the track events. Despite the unforeseen circumstances, Jackson remained focused, patiently waiting for his opportunity to compete late Wednesday night.

Once the clouds broke and the rain cleared out, things got started over three hours delayed and under the lights at Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.

Jackson lined up for Heat 5 in Lane 2 for the 400-meter dash and got off to a solid start, exploding from the blocks and quickly establishing a strong position within the pack. 

Ultimately, Jackson powered through the final stretch, crossing the finish line in fourth place. His effort was rewarded with a personal best time of 46.30 seconds, a significant achievement that secured his advancement to Friday’s quarterfinals.

Jackson’s previous best time was 46.35 set at the Maryland Kehoe Twilight Meet in College Park, Maryland, on May 2, 2025.

Jackson finished with the 21st fastest time among the top 24 athletes advancing, and his momentum will undoubtedly fuel his confidence as he sets his sights on advancing to the ultimate goal: the NCAA Championships.

The top 12 finishers in each event and 12 teams from each relay event from the NCAA East First Round will advance to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on June 5-8.

ESPN+ will provide daily coverage of the East First Round meet.

Tickets are available for purchase here. 

You can find the schedule of events for the 2025 NCAA East and West first rounds below:

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 

There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:

• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 

• Follow us on social media:

 Facebook: /MorganStateBears

 Twitter: @MorganStBears

 Instagram: /MorganStateBears

ABOUT MORGAN

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College junior Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) was included on the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches 2025 Division III All-America Team, the ACWPC announced. Palmer-Sammons received All-America honorable mention for the second year in a row.

The CWPA Most Valuable Player this season, Palmer-Sammons had a dominant year for the Scots. In 19 games, she led Macalester with 49 goals and 67 points, and her 18 assists rank second on the team. In a 17-8 victory over Carthage on Mar. 16, Palmer-Sammons registered nine goals to tie the program’s record for goals in a match. She also tallied six goals in a 20-10 win over Grove City on Mar. 28. At the CWPA Championships April 11-13 at Augustana College, Palmer-Sammons tallied eight goals and 3 assists, including four goals and an assist in the Scots’ 9-8 victory over Austin College in the third-place game, to earn a spot on the All-Tournament first team. In addition to her offensive prowess, Palmer-Sammons made a significant impact on the defensive end with a team-best 41 steals. In 56 career matches at Macalester, she has 105 goals and 38 assists for 143 points.

Palmer-Sammons is the first Scot to be named the CWPA Most Valuable Player since Lucille Moran ’19 received the award in 2017 and 2018.

Macalester, coached by Scott Reed, were 12-9 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Scots finished third at the CWPA Championships for the third straight year.

Click here to view the ACWPC Division III All-America Team.

 

Xander Swann (400-meter hurdles) and Dave Filias (hammer throw) of the Middlebury men’s track and field team tallied United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American honors. The awards are based on the athlete’s performance at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

HONOREE HIGHLIGHTS

• Swann (First Team)
  

  • Swann earns his first All-American honor.
  • In the qualifying rounds, the Panther clocked the second-fastest time in the 22-competitor field, stopping the clock at 52.22 seconds.
  • Swann excelled in the championship heat. Staying near the front of a cluster of competitors, he claimed bronze with a time of 52.63 seconds.
  • The Panther closes his Middlebury campaign with five all-region honors across the indoor and outdoor seasons, two NESCAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week laurels and the 2025 Men’s Sabasteanski Award at the conference championships. 

• Filias (Second Team)

  • Filias claimed All-American accolades for the second-consecutive campaign.
  • During the hammer, the senior recorded a toss of 56.09 meters, earning 15th overall.
  • The Panther is a three-time conference champion in the event, defending his title this spring with an event-best 57.47m.
  • Filias caps his Middlebury career with five all-conference nods and the program record in the event (61.22m).

Middlebury now has 37 Outdoor All-American honorees. Those who finish in the top-eight individually or in a relay earn first-team distinction, while individuals claiming ninth through 16th and relays earning ninth through 12th tally second-team laurels. The full list of honorees can be found here.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic women’s basketball Head Coach LeAnn Freeland has announced the addition of graduate transfer Jessica Moors from Nova Southeastern.
 
Moors, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, joins the Owls as a graduate student after opening her collegiate career at Colorado State and playing the last two seasons at Nova Southeastern under Coach Freeland.
 
“Jess is a great addition to our program,” said Coach Freeland. “She was a huge part of our success at NSU for two seasons and helped lead us to two Sweet 16 appearances. She’s a versatile guard with good size, a high motor, and can defend any position. Jess is a great leader who works hard every day, challenges teammates, and is extremely coachable. Our staff is excited to announce Jess is an Owl!”
 
At Nova Southeastern, Moors made 61 appearances and 38 starts and helped lead the team to two NCAA DII Sweet 16 appearances during her two seasons with the Sharks. During her redshirt junior season, Moors led the Sharks in blocks with 24 and ranked second on the team in steals, collecting 58 and averaging 1.7 steals per game, as well as scoring 6.5 points per game and tallying 3.8 rebounds per contest. She tied a career-high 16 points against Palm Beach Atlantic twice on January 8 and March 4. Defensively, Moors posted 17 games with two or more steals, including a season-best six steals against Georgian Court on November 30. In her first season with NSU, Moors led the team in steals with 55, averaging 1.8 steals per contest, and ranked third on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.1 rebounds per game, in addition to scoring 5.8 points per game, shooting 40 percent from the field. She scored a career-high 16 points against Embry-Riddle on December 30, and posted 13 games with two or more steals, including a career-best seven steals against Mount Olive on December 13.
 
Prior to arriving at Nova Southeastern, Moors started her collegiate career and played two seasons at Colorado State. Moors redshirted her sophomore season in 2022-23. As a freshman, she appeared in 13 contests, averaging 6.1 minutes per game.
 
SEASON TICKETS
Season ticket renewals are now available, click here to renew your season tickets for the 2025-26 season. If interested in purchasing new season tickets, fill out the season ticket interest form here.
 
FOLLOW THE OWLS
For updates, follow @FAUWBB_Hoops on X and @FAUWBB on Instagram, or like Florida Atlantic Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
 

Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan had Olympic aspirations in another sport long before it was announced that flag football would make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“I didn’t play like a normal volleyball player,” he said. “I guess you could say I was kind of dangerous out there.”

McMillan was a star volleyball player at Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif., where he tied the school record for most kills in a match. He was recruited by UCLA, USC and Stanford to play both football and volleyball collegiately before ultimately deciding to leave the state and focus on just playing football at the University of Arizona.

His high school volleyball coach, Matt Marrujo, even told Panthers.com that McMillan “had a shot” at competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic volleyball team “if he had really focused on volleyball.”

“He’s just being generous,” McMillan said. “But who knows what could have been.”

The 6-foot-4 McMillan brought physicality from the football field to the volleyball court.

“I always swung as hard as I can,” McMillan said. “I feel like some people were spooked and scared to play me and block me at times.

“There’s a few people that I definitely hit in the face and I believe I broke [an opponent’s] hand before, I’m pretty sure.”

Conversely, McMillan credits his volleyball experience for making him a better football player.

“It’s all about timing,” he said. “Being able to time the ball at the highest point, being able to be a pogo stick bouncing off the ground as quick as possible.

“It’s not easy. People think volleyball is easy and it’s for girls, but it is not easy. It’ll humble you real quick.”

For now, with his volleyball playing career on pause, McMillan’s best shot at competing at an Olympics is in flag football. The competition will be held at BMO Stadium, just 30 miles from where he went to high school.

“That would be a real dope moment,” he said. “It’s something I can see myself doing in the future. But first I’ve got to make some plays on the football field and try to make a name for myself and maybe they’ll come recruit me for the flag football.”

When asked who he would want to quarterback Team USA, McMillan picked his starting quarterback with the Panthers, Bryce Young, although NFL conditions state that no more than one player per NFL team can represent each country. He also identified a pair of defensive players as intriguing prospects.

“They might grab Myles Garrett or somebody like that or Micah Parsons to go out there and just be freakishly athletic,” McMillan said in an interview on behalf of Sharpie, the pen he used to sign his NFL rookie contract. “But I’m fortunate enough to be a skill player, so I’ve got a higher percentage of being picked.”

If McMillan ever does decide to return to volleyball, there is precedent for a professional athlete switching sports to play at the Olympic level. Chase Budinger played beach volleyball at the 2024 Paris Games after seven seasons in the NBA.

But don’t expect to see McMillan competing on the sand.

“I chose to play an outdoor sport, which is football,” McMillan said, “so everything else I do is always going to be inside in the AC.”