TCU defeats LMU for NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball title – Orange County Register
TCU’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno came from behind to win the final match as the second-seeded Horned Frogs wrapped up their first NCAA women’s beach volleyball championship with a 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount on Sunday at Gulf Shores, Ala. TCU (32-5) is the first school other than USC and UCLA […]
TCU’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno came from behind to win the final match as the second-seeded Horned Frogs wrapped up their first NCAA women’s beach volleyball championship with a 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount on Sunday at Gulf Shores, Ala.
TCU (32-5) is the first school other than USC and UCLA to win the title. The Trojans won the first two and the previous four, while the Bruins won two straight in 2018-19.
Alvarez and Moreno, who took a year off to play in the Olympics, returned to finish unbeaten in four years as a duo. Alvarez and Moreno dropped the first game 18-21 to LMU’s Michelle Shaffer and Anna Pelloia before rallying to win the final two 21-15 and 15-6.
The Lions (38-7) eliminated No. 5 seed USC in the quarterfinals and top-seed UCLA in the semifinals.TCU No. 3 pair Sofia Izuzquizal and Allanis Navas earned a point with a 21-16, 21-13 sweep of Abbey Thorup and Lisa Luini.
Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara also swept their way to a point with 21-14 and 21-19 win over Isabelle Reffel and Magdalena Rabitsch at No. 4.
The TCU duo finished 21-0 this season.
The Olympians finished off the championship as the Horned Frogs won 12 straight to end the season.
LMU twos pair Chloe Hooker and Vilhelmiina Prihti earned a point with a 21-16, 21-17 sweep of Hailey Hamlett and Maria Gonzalez, as Prihti surpassed Jessie Pritchard as LMU’s all-time winningest player with 110 wins.
At No. 5, LMU’s Tanon Rosenthal and Giuliana Poletti Corrales defeated Stacy Reeves and Denie Konstantinova 21-16, 21-16 to set up a decisive match on the final court.
TCU, which defeated No. 6 Cal Poly and No. 7 Texas to reach the final, completed its historic season 32-5, winning its final 12 matches.
LMU, which defeated No. 5 USC and No. 1 UCLA on Saturday to reach the final, finished 38-7.
The Lions are just the second program in school history to play in a National Championship event, joining the 2004 women’s water polo program.
The 38 wins are a program record and John Mayer became the first coach in school history to be named National Coach of the Year. The team also became the first in school history to win six consecutive conference titles.
Men’s Track & Field Earn Five Quarterfinal Spots at NCAA West First Round
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – University of Houston men’s track and field earned five quarterfinal spots at the NCAA West First Round inside E.B. Cushing Stadium on Wednesday. Houston will compete in the 110-meter hurdles, 100-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter in addition to the discus, triple jump, 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay on Friday. […]
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – University of Houston men’s track and field earned five quarterfinal spots at the NCAA West First Round inside E.B. Cushing Stadium on Wednesday.
Houston will compete in the 110-meter hurdles, 100-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter in addition to the discus, triple jump, 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay on Friday.
Senior Trey East III posted the fastest time of the day in the 400-meter with a personal best of 45.23. East III moved up to the third in program history with this time.
Senior Jamar Marshall Jr. earned his spot in Friday’s 110-meter hurdles quarterfinal with a time of 13.52.
Senior John Adesola secured his spot in two separate events as he qualified in the 110-meter hurdles at 13.57 and the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.28.
Senior Adam Mason earned a spot in the 800-meter quarterfinal as he finished third in his heat at 1:48.21.
The women’s squad open action at 10 a.m., Thursday, with the women’s hammer throw followed by the pole vault at 5:30 p.m., 100-meter hurdles at 6 p.m., and will close out the evening with the 800-meter.
FRIDAY SCHEDULE
1 p.m. – Men’s Discus: Kevin Grubbs
2:30 p.m. – Men’s Triple Jump: Caleb Malbrough, Kevin Snyder
3:30 p.m. – Men’s High Jump: My’Kell Beck, Antrea Mita, Turey Stoudemire
5 p.m. – Men’s 4×100-meter relay: Germain Smith-Mata, Cayden Broadnax, Ryan Mulholland, Brice Chabot
6:15 p.m. – 110m hurdles: John Adesola, Jamar Marshall
6:35 p.m. – 100m: John Adesola
6:50 p.m. – Men’s 400m: Trey East III
7:05 p.m. – Men’s 800m: Adam Mason
8:45 pm – Men’s 4×400-meter relay: Trey East III, Sahfi Reed, King Taylor, Damarien Jacobs
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27 San Clemente High School Student-Athletes Commit to Colleges | Sports & Outdoors
San Clemente High School recently gathered 27 of its student-athletes for a ceremony honoring those who have signed financial aid and scholarship agreements with colleges across the country to continue their athletic and academic careers in the fall of 2025. (The NCAA eliminated the National Letter of Intent in October 2024.) The Tritons’ girls soccer […]
San Clemente High School recently gathered 27 of its student-athletes for a ceremony honoring those who have signed financial aid and scholarship agreements with colleges across the country to continue their athletic and academic careers in the fall of 2025. (The NCAA eliminated the National Letter of Intent in October 2024.)
The Tritons’ girls soccer team had the most signees, with five players making their college choices, followed by the football and boys soccer teams with four apiece.
The full list, broken down by sport:
WOMEN’S SOCCER (5): Gianna Melton (University of San Diego), Camille Brophy (Oregon), Makena Wood (Chico State), Wynn Farrell (Portland State) and Taylor Hernandez (Illinois Tech).
FOOTBALL (4): Matai Tagoa’i (USC), Puka Fuimaono (Arizona State), Max Kotiranta (Northern Arizona) and Zeke Rubinstein (Baker University).
MEN’SSOCCER(4): Griffin Blair (Cal State Fullerton), Cole Harris (UC Santa Barbara), Ryker Joutz (Princeton) and Owen Hornig (Wisconsin).
WOMEN’SLACROSSE(2): Sophia Yeskulsky (University of Colorado) and Charlotte Yeskulsky (University of Colorado).
BASEBALL(2): Mike Erspamer (Stanford) and Haken Quade (Westmont).
WOMEN’SWATERPOLO(2): Phoebe De-Moss (UC Santa Barbara) and Talyn Pelkey (University of Hawaii-Minoa).
No. 17 Men’s Track advances five at NCAA West Prelims
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 17 men’s Texas track and field program advanced five sprinters to Friday’s quarterfinals at the NCAA West Prelims on Wednesday. Kendrick Smallwood won heat 1 of the men’s 110-meter hurdle first round with his time of 13.38. It was the third-fastest time […]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 17 men’s Texas track and field program advanced five sprinters to Friday’s quarterfinals at the NCAA West Prelims on Wednesday.
Kendrick Smallwood won heat 1 of the men’s 110-meter hurdle first round with his time of 13.38. It was the third-fastest time in the field of 48. Smallwood will compete in Friday’s quarterfinals for a spot at the NCAA Championships.
Nabil Tezkratt also advanced to the 400-meter quarterfinal finishing third in Heat 2 with a time of 46.36 for the automatic spot.
The Longhorns later advanced two in the 400-meter hurdles after Kody Blackwood ran the fourth-fastest time of the night in 49.86 to win Heat 5. Chris Brinkley also advanced on time at 51.04 to compete on Friday.
Xavier Butler was the final Longhorn to advance after winning Heat 6 of the 200-meter with a time of 20.45. It was the third-fastest time of the day.
The No. 11 women will compete on the second day of the NCAA prelims.
Results:
Kendrick Smallwood – 3rd – 110mH | 13.38 Q
Xavier Butler – 3rd – 200m | 20.45
Kody Blackwood – 4th – 400mH | 49.86 Q
Kelsey Daniel – 15th – Long Jump | 7.57m (24-10)
Sam Abati – T-15th – Pole Vault | 5.17m (16-11.50)
Chris Brinkley – 19th – 400mH | 51.04 q
Brennen McHenry – 19th – Long Jump | 7.44m (24-5)
Nabil Tezkratt – 23rd – 400m | 46.36 Q
Michael Piñones – 28th – Shot Put | 17.83m (58-6)
Logan Popelka – 31st – 400m – 46.59
Solomon Washington – 34th – Long Jump | 7.16m (23-6)
Wildcats Punch Tickets to Eugene on Day 1 of NCAA West First Round
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Jesse Avina, Reinaldo Rodrigues, and Zach Landa punch tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Day 1 of the West First Round in College Station, Texas. Jesse Avina recorded a personal best in the men’s javelin (72.48/237-9) to finish 5th, Reinaldo Rodrigues finished […]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Jesse Avina, Reinaldo Rodrigues, and Zach Landa punch tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Day 1 of the West First Round in College Station, Texas.
Jesse Avina recorded a personal best in the men’s javelin (72.48/237-9) to finish 5th, Reinaldo Rodrigues finished 10th in the long jump with a mark of 7.71m (25-3 ½), and Zach Landa won the men’s shot put with a throw of 20.06m (65-9 ¾) to punch their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 11-14.
Zach Extine finished 5th in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.45. Extine will be back in action at 4:15 p.m. MST on Friday with hopes of advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene.
Tyson Tippett finished third in his heat with a time of 10.47 to advance to the men’s 100m quarterfinals on Friday at 4:35 p.m. MST.
Yan Vazquez ran a personal best 49.98 to finish second in his heat (6th overall) in the 400m hurdles, marking the second-best time in program history to advance to Friday’s quarterfinals.
Day 1 Other Finishes – Men
Hammer – Michael Ogbeiwi (38th, 59.94m), Zach Landa (42nd, 58.32m)
Shot Put – Youssef Koudssi (28th, 17.80m), Tyler Michelini (29th, 17.77m), Sam Hala’ufia (42nd, 17.15m)
100m – James Onanubosi (46th, 10.68)
200m – Brian Limage (45th, 21.48)
The men’s team will be back in action on Friday with the discus opening the full schedule at 11 a.m. MST.
Men’s 4×100 Relay (3 p.m.) – James Onanubosi, Brian Limage, Isaac Davis, Tyson Tippett
Men’s 110m Hurdles (4:15 p.m.) – Zach Extine
Men’s 100 Meters (4:35 p.m.) – Tyson Tippett
Men’s 400 Hurdles (5:25 p.m.)* – Yan Vazquez
The Arizona women’s track and field team will be in action tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m. MST with the women’s javelin, and the full day of events will conclude with the women’s 200m at 6:45 p.m. MST.
THURSDAY, MAY 29 (DAY TWO) (WATCH LIVE)
Women’s Javelin (12:30 p.m.) – Erin Tack
Women’s Long Jump (2:30 p.m.) – Jenica Bosko
Women’s Pole Vault (3:30 p.m.) – Jathiyah Muhammad
Women’s Shot Put (4 p.m.) – Tapenisa Havea, Mackenna Orie, Lauryn Love
Women’s 200 Meters (6:45 p.m.) – McKenna Watson, Jade Brown
Jade Brown enters the NCAA First Round ranked No. 5 in the 100m nationally (11.07). The women’s 100m first round is scheduled for Thursday, May 2,9 at 5 p.m. MST.
Tack enters the regional ranked No. 10 in the javelin (54.37m), and she begins competition on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. MST.
The women’s 4x400m relay team looks to build on its third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. It enters the NCAA First Round ranked No. 11 nationally (3:33.88). Simms, Hall, Aguilar-Perez, and Sanchez Nunez compete on Saturday, May 31, in the quarterfinals at 6:45 p.m. MST.
Sanchez Nunez finished 4th in the 400m hurdles at the Big 12 Championships and enters the competition ranked No. 6 nationally (56.18). The 400m hurdles first round is scheduled for 6:20 p.m. MST on Thursday, May 29.
Havea, after earning a podium appearance at the Big 12 Championships, enters the NCAA First Round ranked No. 12 in the discus (56.46m).
The 4x100m relay team, featuring Ava Simms, McKenna Watson, Dakota Minor, and Jade Brown, finished fifth with a program-record time of 44.13 at the Big 12 Championships. The team looks to add to its legacy, entering the NCAA First Round ranked No. 14 nationally.
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Mexican Baseball Fiesta paved the way for Tucson's new team
When the Mexican Baseball Fiesta wraps up its four-day event at Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in October, which kicks off the Mexican Pacific Winter League season, one of the teams won’t have to return to Mexico. Tucson is set to have a team from the Mexican Pacific Winter League, also known as Liga ARCO Mexican […]
When the Mexican Baseball Fiesta wraps up its four-day event at Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in October, which kicks off the Mexican Pacific Winter League season, one of the teams won’t have to return to Mexico.
Tucson is set to have a team from the Mexican Pacific Winter League, also known as Liga ARCO Mexican del Pacifico (LAMP), for the upcoming season, the first non-independent professional team to call the Old Pueblo home since 2013, when the Tucson Padres, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, moved to El Paso in 2013.
Tucson was also a longtime home to other minor-league franchises, including the Tucson Toros (Houston Astros) and Tucson Sidewinders (Arizona Diamondbacks), which played its last season in 2008.
Last week, Mayos de Navojoa announced its plans for the Sonoran team to relocate to Tucson, becoming the first U.S.-based team in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, which has 10 teams and was founded in 1945. The Mexican Pacific Winter League has seen several MLB standouts, including Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the late Ricky Henderson, Robinson Canó and former Arizona Diamondback Yasmany Tomás, among others. Valenzuela and Henderson both played for Mayos de Navojoa.
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Mayos de Navojoa, a regular participant in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, are relocating to Tucson and will play at Kino full time.
Kelly Presnell photos, Arizona Daily Star
For Tucson’s inaugural season, similarly to the NFL’s Washington Commanders and the NHL’s Utah Mammoth, the franchise will be known as “Tucson Baseball Team,” and fans will have an opportunity in the future to vote on a team name for the second season and beyond.
An official media event to welcome the franchise to Tucson will be in June, and the first official home game at Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium is slated for Oct. 16. The Mexican Pacific Winter League’s 68-game regular season starts in October and ends in late December, with the postseason in January. The champion will play in the Caribbean Series, an annual tournament with the top teams from leagues in Latin America.
Mexican Baseball Fiesta co-founder Francisco Gamez, who started the Mexican Baseball Fiesta in 2011, was a pitcher for Mayos de Navojoa’s last championship team in 2000.
Landing a Mexican Pacific Winter League team “was a dream come true for me and the Mexican Baseball Fiesta,” said Mexican Baseball Fiesta CEO Frank Gamez, the son of Francisco Gamez.
“We’ve been paving the way, hoping that was something we gain from doing the Fiesta,” said the younger Gamez.
Mayos de Navojoa third baseman takes it on the chin fielding a hopping ground ball by a Mexicali batter off his glove at the Vamos a Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta, Tucson, Ariz., October 3, 2021.
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star
In recent years, the Mexican Baseball Fiesta has drawn an average of 20,000-22,000 people over four days. Coupled with the World Baseball Classic qualifiers earlier this year, along with the Mexican Pacific Winter League hosting its international series between Yaquis de Obregón and Águilas de Mexicali, Tucson’s baseball events in the wake of minor-league baseball and MLB Spring Training leaving “showed that the Tucson community is hungry for baseball,” Gamez said.
“There is no question about a fanbase in Tucson, because we’ve been working — at least the hispanic side of the fanbase — heavily with the Mexican Baseball Fiesta,” Gamez said. “When teams looked at us and said, ‘Hey, can we go? Is this something that can happen? Is this something we can do?’ For us, we had all the cards on the table.”
Gamez recently joined “Spears & Ali” on ESPN Tucson to discuss the influence of Mexican Baseball Fiesta, team names and Tucson’s team becoming America’s team. Here’s part of that interview:
How did all of this happen?
A: “We’ve been bringing the team that is moving, Navojoa, throughout our whole (Mexican Baseball Fiesta) history. My dad, Francisco Gamez, played for Navojoa the year of their last championship. I lived in Navojoa and my dad played there, so it’s a beautiful circle. We’ve been working with them and they’ve trusted us, especially early on when it was just three or four teams (in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta). That has been fostering in Mexico. … We’ve been hearing about baseball coming back to Tucson, and we were like, ‘Hey, we’re the baseball people. What’s going on? We want to be involved.’ That led to the World Baseball Classic qualifiers.
“As we were taking the next step, Tucson took the next step. … Part of it is the momentum of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta and another part is the hunger that Tucson has for baseball. It was the perfect storm and it made people interested in the Tucson market.”
Obregon shortstop JC Gamboa, left, puts the awkward tag on the stolen base attempt by Jalisco’s Billy Hamilton’s, ending the fifth inning of their matchup on the opening night of the 2024 Mexican Baseball Fiesta at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium on Oct. 3.
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star
How much influence do you think the Mexican Baseball Fiesta had in bringing a team to the U.S. and Tucson?
A: “I think we had an influence. Tucson is a great geographical location when it comes to the Mexican Pacific Winter League. Where it is, it keeps everything within a drivable distance. But this (opportunity) would be years down the road if we didn’t pave the road with Mexican Baseball Fiesta. … It definitely expedited the process. To them, to me, to people involved, it has promise, but it would’ve taken a longer time for this to happen.
“We have a proven concept for the preseason that excites us to have the whole winter and bring baseball back and have a team that wants to win, stay here and win championships. From a competitive side, that’s what gets me excited.”
Pima County spent $1.12 million — $700,000 for a video board and $425,000 for a new playing surface — on renovations for Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium leading up to the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. How does the stadium stack up against other venues in the league?
A: “Now that it has a video board and beautiful grass, it looks ready and good to go. A lot of stadiums in Mexico have two or three video boards. Now that we have one, it’s the perfect start to put a team (in Tucson) and create noise around Kino. In two or three years, we’ll have another (video board).”
Mexicali’s mascot Lucho appears to pick the pocket of a fan after giving him a big hug during their game against Los Mochis in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, in Tucson.
Ron Medvescek, Arizona Daily Star
Any leads on team names?
A: “We had some names and we’re really excited about those, but the idea is we want to involve the community. When we bring it to Tucson, we don’t want it to be called something else and Tucson follows us. … We started with Spanish names and we’re trying to find something that’s in the lingo. It’s something that’s easily said for the general market and Americans. It’s Tucson, so the Spanish influence is heavy, but if we get too fancy with it, it could get changed.”
With Tucson having the only U.S.-based team in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, it’s akin to the Toronto Blue Jays as the only Canadian team in MLB. How will the American dimension affect the league?
A: “We made that analogy when we were talking to a group of people to try and get them excited, because that is literally what it’s going to be like. … What we really want to do for the team is make it their own and make it a Tucson thing. For the Blue Jays, even though it’s MLB, when you go to Toronto, that’s their team. That’s what we want to do.
“We want to make this about Tucson. There’s enough culture blend and I think it’s a beautiful melting pot here. Living here in Tucson, you don’t see those lines when it switches from one community to another, it’s a mix. That’s something I’ve always loved here. We want people to resonate with it.”
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Air Force junior Texas Tanner secured his spot in the finals of next month’s NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, May 28, when he finished third in the hammer throw at the West Prelim in College Station, Texas. After waiting out two weather delays that pushed the start of the hammer […]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Air Force junior Texas Tanner secured his spot in the finals of next month’s NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, May 28, when he finished third in the hammer throw at the West Prelim in College Station, Texas.
After waiting out two weather delays that pushed the start of the hammer back more than an hour, Tanner opened the three-attempt competition with a 64.80-meter (212’7″) throw. He improved that distance to 70.32 meters (230’8″) on his next attempt – a throw that secured his spot in next month’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. Tanner finished the meet as one of only three throwers to surpass the 70-meter barrier at the NCAA West Prelim – and one of only four to do so between the two Preliminary sites.
Not long after concluding his competition in the hammer throw, Tanner headed to the infield of E.B.Cushing Stadium for the regional final of the shot put where he recorded a throw of 17.58 meters (57’8¼”) to finish 37th.
Senior Joe Nizich narrowly missed a spot in the national final of the javelin throw on Thursday, as he finished just 0.24 meters outside of the top 12. Recording the second-best throw of his career – 68.55 meters (224’2″) – on his final attempt, the senior placed 13th in the overall field. Nizich was one of two Falcons to compete in the javelin throw, as freshman Brayden Richards – already a national finalist in the decathlon – placed 47th with a distance of 53.93 meters (176’7″).
Senior Cooper Stroka joined Tanner among the top 20 of the hammer throw finishers on Wednesday, as he recorded a distance of 64.15 meters (210’5″) to place within the top half of the 48-thrower final (20th).
In addition to the field events, one regional final (national semifinal) was contested on the track, as juniors Jayden Nats and Max Sannes finished 39th (29:49.27) and 43rd (30:19.06), respectively. In the 10,000-meter run.
Several opening-round races were also contested tonight in College Station. Freshman Saketh Rudraraju and junior Ben Scheller placed 42nd (3:56.94) and 48th (4:10.09), respectively, in the first round of the 1500-meter run, while senior Javin Bostic finished 34th in the opening round of the 200-meter dash (21.07) and freshman Asher Jenkins placed 41st in the 100-meter qualifying (10.63).
The Falcons remain in Texas for three more days of West Prelim action. The women will be at E.B. Cushing Stadium tomorrow (May 29), with junior India Jones competed in the 10,000-meter run at 9:10 a.m. (CT).
