Sports

The Big West Women’s Volleyball Notebook: Cal Poly Canters into 18th NCAA Postseason on Thursday

Published

4 days ago

December 3, 2025

What 2 Watch 4

Big West Champion Cal Poly starts their line dance in the national postseason on Thursday at 5 p.m., taking on No. 5 seed BYU from the Galen Center, home of first round host and No. 4 seed Southern California.

The Mustangs punched their tickets to an 18th appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship last night, downing regular-season champion and No. 1 seed UC Davis in four sets. Championship MVP Chloe Leluge, a sophomore middle blocker from Bend, Ore., paced the offense with 16 kills on .593 hitting (16-0-27) as Cal Poly earned their first Big West Championship title with the event just completing its third iteration.

Cal Poly (25-7, 14-4 Big West) enjoyed Mott Magic in 2025, going 15-0 on their home floor, the longest home winning streak in the country. Recording an 11-3 mark in non-conference play in 2025, Cal Poly’s season included out-of-league victories against a trio of tournament teams in then-No. 20 Utah, St. Thomas and Northern Colorado.

Along with second-team performer Leluge (.394 hit pct., 3.25 k/s, 1.05 b/s), the Mustangs have been paced by All-Big West first-team honorees in redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis (9.63 a/s) and sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear (3.06 k/s, 45 service aces) with honorable mention selections Emma Fredrick and Annabelle Thalken leading to a balanced attack for the Cal Poly offense. The Mustangs sport a team hitting percentage of .280, which has been consistently ranked in the top 20 in the nation all season long.

BYU (22-8, 10-8 Big 12) enters the postseason with consecutive wins over four NCAA qualifying teams against Arizona, No. 4 seed Kansas and Utah at home and at No. 5 seed Colorado in the regular-season finale. The Cougars enter the field for the program’s 38th appearance as an at-large qualifier from the Big 12, one of 10 teams from the league to see their names called on Sunday.

Sophomore setter Alex Bower directs the Cougars’ offense with a league-leading 10.68 assists per set (11th in NCAA Division I), setting up the arm of freshman Suli Davis who is pounding 4.59 kills per set. Junior middle blocker Brielle Kemavor is an anchor at the net with a team-high 1.18 blocks per set on a Big 12-leading .374 hitting, setting up a showdown in the middle.

The last matchup between the Mustangs and Cougars came on Aug. 27, 2016, in Provo, Utah, a 3-0 decision in favor of the home team. BYU holds the 11-6 overall series record.

The victor between Cal Poly and BYU advances to take on the winners between the host Trojans (24-6, 15-5 Big 10 at-large) and Ivy League automatic qualifier Princeton (18-6, 11-3 Ivy) on Friday at 7 p.m. The last meeting between Cal Poly and USC came back on Sept. 8, 2012, and a meeting with the Tigers would be a first for the two teams.

Cal Poly is making their first return to the NCAA bracket since 2019, where they advanced into the second round. The Mustangs knocked off Georgia in five sets in their first-round matchup before advancing to face No. 3 seed and host Stanford. Cal Poly holds a 15-17 (.469) overall record in the national postseason.

All three weekend matches from Los Angeles are set to air on ESPN+. Check listings for specific match information.

How We Got Here

First Round

The first round of The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship saw two three-setters with No. 3 Long Beach State and No. 4 UC Santa Barbara up to the challenge to keep the bracket chalk through the first day of play.

Semifinals

Following a Thanksgiving Day break, The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds took to the court on Friday, both downing their opponents in four. For The top-seeded Aggies, two of the sets went to extra points in the battle with the Gauchos. Despite a Big West Championship record 24 kills for UCSB’s Eva Travis, UC Davis overcame with Jade Light (15 kills) and Brooke Hibino (13 kills) providing firepower set up by Mia Starr (40 assists, 21 digs) to claim the win.

In the nightcap, second-seeded Cal Poly took care of Championship hosts LBSU with a balanced attack that saw four players reach double figure kills paced by 17 kills on .533 hitting for middle blocker Chloe Leluge and a Championship record 51-assist outing to go along with 14 digs for Emme Bullis.

Championship

A new champion was crowned on Saturday night from LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif., as Cal Poly raced to the title after upending UC Davis, 3-1. Championship MVP Chloe Leluge struck for a team-high 16 kills on .593 hitting as the Mustangs out-aced the Aggies 6-0 and finished with the 12-7 blocking advantage to earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. Reigning victorious as the No. 2 seed, all three Big West champions have won from the second line of the bracket.

Meet the Mustangs

NCAA History

Cal Poly is representing The Big West in the brackets of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, for the 18th time in program history, and a first appearance since 2019. The Mustangs hold a record of 15-17 (.469) in the national postseason. Their last win came in the 2019 season in a 3-2 win over Georgia before bowing out of the field after a loss to regional host and No. 3 seed Stanford.

Historically, Cal Poly has been in the tournament nine straight seasons in the 80s (81-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-89), once n the 90 (99) four times in the aughts (00-02-06-07), and four times in the last decade, the last two with the program under the direction of head coach Caroline Walters (17-18-19-25).

Big West Championship History

In their third Big West Championship field, Cal Poly reached consecutive championship finals, winning the title in 2025. The Mustangs sport a 4-2 overall record in Championship play.

Chloe Leluge was named Championship MVP after averaging 4.13 kills per set (33 kills in eight sets) while hitting a combined .561 and committing just one error (33-1-57). Leluge also added 10 total blocks (1.25 per set) in two matches.

Team Leaders/Award Winners

Cal Poly duo Kendall Beshear (3.06 k/s, 0.41 sa/s) and Emme Bullis (9.63 a/s, 1,088 total assists) were named to the All-Big West First Team, with middle blocker Chloe Leluge (2.35 k/s, 0.394 hit pct., 1.05 b/s) taking home second team honors and Charlotte Kelly (1.44 k/s, 0.311 hit pct., 1.02 b/s) earning the nod on the All-Freshman Team. A pair of Mustangs were also named honorable mention performers in Emma Fredrick (3.35 k/s) and Annabelle Thalken (2.38 k/s, 0.299 hit pct.).

Career Connections

Emme Bullis has assisted on 4,244 career scoring plays for the Mustangs, good for sixth among active NCAA Division I players.

Season Superlatives

• Longest home winning streak in the country (15-0). The Big West enjoys two of the 11 teams to make it through the home slate unscathed with UC Davis standings at 9-0 at home.

• Third-straight 20-win season.

• Caroline Walters is the winningest coach in program history with a mark of 130-81 (0.616) in seven seasons at the helm.

2025 All-Big West Awards

The Big West unveiled its 2025 postseason honors on the eve of The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship, with first-time regular-season champion UC Davis featured prominently in the listings.

Aggies senior outside hitter Jade Light collected Big West Player of the Year honors as the Sloughhouse, Calif., native is the first UC Davis player to ever win Player of the Year honors, coming in the Aggies’ last campaign in the conference.

Joining Light on the All-Big West first team were major award winners in Setter of the Year Mia Starr and Libero of the Year Ximena Cordero Barr. Both new awards since the 2022 season, Starr and Cordero Barr are the first UC Davis players to earn acclaim.

At the helm of the Aggies, Big West Coach of the Year Dan Conners became UC Davis’ all-time winningest coach in the final weeks of the regular season, now sporting 172 wins in 11 seasons. This is a first career coaching nod for Conners, and just the second Aggie coach to earn conference honors (Jamie Holmes, 2009). Conners now reigns with the most career wins in The Big West among active coaches.

Cal Poly saw two first team All-Big West selections in redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis and sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear.

UC Santa Barbara also enjoyed a pair on the eight-member first team, with redshirt senior Layanna Green joined by Big West Freshman of the Year Gabi Martinez on the listings. Rounding out the All-Big West first team was Long Beach State redshirt freshman Logan King, who hails from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

Read more and see the complete list of award winners >>>

The Big West in the Rankings

• Finishing the regular season with a perfect 15-0 home record, Cal Poly leads the country in home streak length. The Big West enjoys two of the 11 teams to make it through the home slate unscathed with UC Davis standings at 9-0 at home.

• The top four teams in the league are all in the Top 80 nationally in the final RPI and KPI listings. UC Davis topped the last RPI at 45, with Cal Poly in 51st in the KPI.

POWERful

The Big West notched Power-4 wins over multiple foes this non-conference, including two over California (ACC) with Cal Poly and UC Davis taking down the Bears. UC Santa Barbara downed Kansas State from the Big 12 as the Mustangs swept through No. 20 Utah Big West teams also took two from the SEC with Cal Poly defeating Arkansas on the road and UC Santa Barbara taking care of Vanderbilt.

Non-Conference Kudos

The Big West finished non-conference action with an overall mark of 58-64 (.475) with five teams at or above .500 heading into league action. Of the 23 conferences played, The Big West sports even or winning records against 10 conferences, including the SEC (2-2), WCC (13-10) and Big Sky (11-8).

Welcome to The Big West

Four new head coaches to the league patrolled The Big West sidelines in 2025. Branden Higa came to UC Riverside from crosstown rival and future Big West opponent California Baptist. A rebuilding Cal State Bakersfield side featured co-interim head coaches in Felipe Nogueira and Cinthia Angus, both members of the Roadrunners’ 2024 staff. A new, but familiar, face was at the helm for Cal State Fullerton as program alumna and former assistant coach Nicky Cannon returned to the Titans.

Link

Sports

2025 NCAA volleyball live updates: Bracket, schedule, highlights

Published

12 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 9:04 p.m. ET

The NCAA Division I volleyball tournament’s second round concludes on Saturday.

No. 1 seeds Nebraska, Texas and Pitt all swept their first round matches and play again Saturday. Kentucky, the fourth No. 1 defeated No. 8 UCLA in the second round on Friday to advance to the Sweet 16.

Cal Poly defeated No. 4 seed USC in the second round of the tournament play on Friday, the biggest upset of the tournament thus far. Stanford also got an early scare from Utah Valley, losing the first set before rallying. Cardinal setter Logan Parks did not play in the match.

The 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s the third time since 2010 that the venue, formerly known as the Sprint Center, has hosted the volleyball national championship.

What time is NCAA volleyball tournament?

Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Start time: Eight matches, beginning at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. Match-by-match times below.

How to watch NCAA volleyball tournament

The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will air across the ESPN and ABC family of networks. All first- and second-round games can be found streaming on ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament live with Fubo (free trial)

Follow along with USA TODAY Sports for live updates, scores and schedule for the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament:

Live results of Saturday’s NCAA women’s volleyball tournament

Minnesota 2, Iowa State 0

The Gophers win the first two sets 25-22, 25-21.

SMU 1, Florida 0

The Mustangs win the first match 25-11.

TCU 1, Texas A&M 1

The teams are knotted at one set each.

Nebraska 1, Kansas State 0

Nebraska goes for the it’s 32nd win of the season.

Texas 3, Penn State 0

Texas eliminates defending champion Penn State, 25-16, 25-9, 25-19.

Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0

No. 1 seed Pitt won 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 to eliminate Michigan.

Louisville 3, Marquette 2

Louisville staved off an upset 21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12.

NCAA volleyball second-round matchups, game times

The second round concludes Saturday Dec. 6.

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, No. 8 UCLA 1 (30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17)
No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 UNI 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Austin bracket

No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0 (25-14, 25-21, 27-25)
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 2 Stanford vs. Arizona, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 3 Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18)
No. 2 SMU vs. Florida, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday

Lincoln bracket

No. 4 Kansas 3, No. 5 Miami 1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Marquette 2 (21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12)
No. 1 Nebraska vs. Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 TCU, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday

NCAA volleyball first-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-12)
No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10)
Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2 (25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10)
No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0, (25-19, 25-12, 25-13)
No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2 (12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15)
No. 6 Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2 (15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10)
Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2 (25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12)

Austin bracket

No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0 (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)
No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1 (25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)
No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-11, 25-6, 25-19)
North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21)
Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 1 Pitt 3, UMBC 0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-13)
Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-23)
No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-13)
No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2 (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10)
Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-19)
No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-13)

Lincoln bracket

No. 1 Nebraska 3, LIU 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17)
Kansas State 3, San Diego 2 (21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12)
No. 5 Miami 3, Tulsa 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20)
No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-13)
No. 6 TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-20)
Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-12)

NCAA volleyball tournament rounds

Second round: Dec. 6
Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
National championship: 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 21

All games on ESPN Unlimited, ESPN, ABC

NCAA volleyball games Friday

Cal Poly 3, USC 2

Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Final: Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1

No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Final: Arizona State 3, Utah State 1

No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)

Final: Nebraska 3, Long Island University 0

No. 1 Nebraska swept Long Island University 25-11, 25-15, 25-17

Final: No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0

No. 3 Wisconsin swept North Carolina 25-14, 25-21, 27-25

Final: No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 UNI 1

No. 3 Creighton defeated No. 6 UNI 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21

Final: No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0

No. 4 Minnesota swept Fairfield 25-12, 25-7, 25-13

Final: Texas 3, Florida A&M

No. 1 Texas swept Florida A&M (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)

Final: Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1

Arizona defeated No. 7 South Dakota State 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15

Final: Kentucky 3, UCLA 1

No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 UCLA 30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17

Final: Kansas 3, Miami 1

No. 4 Kansas defeated No. 5 Miami (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)

Final: Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0

Texas A&M swept Campbell 25-20, 25-10, 25-13

Final: SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0

No. 2 SMU swept Central Arkansas 25-13, 25-13, 25-13

Final: Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1

No. 3 Purdue defeated No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)

Final: No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0

No. 4 Indiana swept No. 5 Colorado (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)

Final: Kansas State 3, San Diego 2

Kansas State defeated No. 8 San Diego 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12

Final: Pitt 3, UMBC 0

No. 1 Pitt swept UMBC 25-10, 25-17, 25-13

Final: Penn State 3, South Florida 1

No. 8 Penn State defeated South Florida 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19

No. 8 Penn State took the first set 25-23, while South Florida took the second set 25-12. The defending champions won the third set 25-21 and the fourth 25-19 to win, 3-1.

Final: Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2

No. 5 Iowa State defeated St. Thomas-Minnesota 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

St. Thomas took the first set 25-21, while Iowa State took the second, 25-13, and third, 25-16. St. Thomas forced a decisive fifth set by taking the fourth 25-21, but Iowa State closed it out 15-8 in the fifth.

Final: Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0

No. 2 Louisville swept Loyola Chicago 25-17, 25-9, 25-12.

Final: TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0

No. 6 TCU swept Stephen F. Austin 25-8, 26-24, 25-20.

Final: Florida 3, Rice 0

Florida swept No. 7 Rice 27-25, 25-23, 25-19.

Final: Michigan 3, Xavier 0

Michigan swept No. 8 Xavier 25-19, 25-15, 25-23

Final: Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0

Marquette swept No. 7 Western Kentucky 25-22, 25-21, 25-16.

NCAA volleyball games Thursday

Final: USC 3, Princeton 0

No. 3 seed USC swept Princeton 25-19, 25-12, 25-13

Final: Kentucky 3, Wofford 0

No. 1 Kentucky swept Wofford 25-11, 25-19, 25-12

Final: Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0

No. 2 Arizona State swept Coppin State 25-11, 25-14, 25-12

Final: Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0

No. 3 Wisconsin swept Eastern Illinois 25-11, 25-6, 25-19

Final: Purdue 3, Wright State 0

No. 3 Purdue swept Wright State 25-13, 25-21, 25-19

Final: Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2

No. 3 Creighton swept Northern Colorado 12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15

Final: Kansas 3, High Point 0

No. 4 Kansas swept High Point 25-20, 25-15, 25-18

Final: Cal Poly 3, BYU 2

Cal Poly defeated No. 5 BYU 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10

Final: Utah State 3, Tennessee 2

Utah State defeated No. 7 Tennessee 25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11

Final: North Carolina 3, UTEP 1

North Carolina downed No. 6 UTEP 24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21

Final: Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2

No. 6 Northern Iowa defeated Utah 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10

Final: UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2

No. 8 UCLA defeated Georgia Tech 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10

Final: Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2

No. 6 Baylor defeated Arkansas State 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10

Final: Miami 3, Tulsa 1

No. 5 Miami defeated Tulsa 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20

Final: Indiana 3, Toledo 0

No. 4 Indiana swept Toledo 25-18, 25-15, 25-17

Final: Colorado 3, American University 0

Colorado eliminated American 25-16, 25-19, 25-16

NCAA volleyball tournament automatic qualifiers

Here’s a look at the 31 teams that earned automatic berths to the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament by virtue of winning their conferences:

ACC: Stanford
American: Tulsa
American East: UMBC
Atlantic Sun: Central Arkansas
Atlantic 10: Loyola Chicago
Big East: Creighton
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big Ten: Nebraska
Big 12: Arizona State
Big West: Cal Poly
CAA: Campbell
Conference USA: Western Kentucky
Horizon: Wright State
Ivy: Princeton
MAAC: Fairfield
MAC: Toledo
MEAC: Coppin State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Utah State
NEC: LIU
Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois
Patriot: American
SEC: Kentucky
SoCon: Wofford
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Florida A&M
Summit: St. Thomas
Sun Belt: Arkansas State
WAC: Utah Valley
WCC: San Diego

Link

Sports

Emma Reaves Breaks Own School Record in Tri-Meet with URI, Stonehill

Published

41 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

KINGSTON, R.I. — Sophomore thrower Emma Reaves (Westminster, Md.) placed first in the shot put, headlining the women’s track and field team’s first-place finish in the team’s tri-meet with the University of Rhode Island and Stonehill College, winning with 104 points.

UNH’s men’s track and field team finished in third with 89 points, while URI won the meet with 96 points and Stonehill closed with 91 points.

In addition to Reaves’ win, the following Wildcats placed:

Women’s Long Jump
- Sophomore Sarah Moore (Lisbon, Maine), first place (5.75m)
- Graduate student Autumn Agri (Stratham, N.H.), second place (5.35m)
- Junior Audrey Thornton (Freedom, N.H.), third place (5.28m)

Men’s Long Jump
- Freshman Rio Calle (Weare, N.H.), fourth place (7.01m)

Women’s Triple Jump

Men’s Triple Jump
- Sophomore Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine), third place (14.60m)

Women’s Shot Put
- Reaves, first place (14.38m)
- Freshman Payton Goulding (Cumberland, R.I.), third place (11.86m)
- Sophomore Ruby Prentiss (Falmouth, Maine), sixth place (11.13m)

Men’s Shot Put

Women’s Weight Throw
- Reaves, first place (17.87m)
- Goulding, third place (15.23m)
- Junior Briana Danis (Hooksett, N.H.), fifth place (15.06m)
- Prentiss, sixth place (14.31m)1.5

Men’s Weight Throw
- Senior Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), first place (19.79m)
- Abaka-Amuah, second place (19.53m)
- Senior Jack Washam (Nashua, N.H.), third place (17.73m)

Women’s High Jump

Men’s High Jump
- Junior Gunnar Sokol (Berwick, Maine), seventh (1.90m)
- Sophomore Samuel Grube (Dover, N.H.), ninth (1.90m)

Men’s Pole Vault

Men’s 1 Mile

Women’s 60m Hurdles

Women’s 600m Run

Men’s 600m Run
- Sophomore James Gecek (High Bridge, N.J.), seventh (1:25.58)

Women’s 60m Dash
- Nada, first (7.71)
- Moore, second (7.72)
- Thornton, third (7.88)
- Sophomore Eva Roberts (Derry, N.H.), fifth (7.92)

Men’s 1000m Run

Women’s 300m Dash
- Thornton, second (42.43)
- Sophomore Brooke White (Barnet, Vt.), fifth (42.90)
- Senior Liliana Chirichella (Troy, N.H.), seventh (43.66)
- Roberts, ninth (45.25)

Women’s 3000m Run
- Senior Claire Ronan (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), first (10:09.32)
- Senior Carolyn Day (Wolfeboro, N.H.), third (10:37.08)

Men’s 3000m Run

Women’s 4x400m Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Chirichella, Hickey, Dillon, Agri), second (4:08.42)

Men’s 4×400 Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Gecek, Daniel Anderson [Naugatuck, Conn.], Calle, Lesniak), fourth (3:28.38)

Link

Sports

ACU Heads to College Station for First Meet of the Indoor Season

Published

57 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The ACU track and field team opens its indoor season by competing in the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational on the campus of Texas A&M on Saturday. The meet will be a low-key meet designed to get in some competition before the Christmas break.

Joining ACU and host Texas A&M in the field will be Baylor, Sam Houston State, SMU, and UTSA.

This meet will be the first competition for several newcomers to the program. There are plans to have three 4×400 relays for the women and the men and some of the newcomers will only run on the relays this weekend.

ACU entries for the men include: 60 (Horatio Brooks); 300 (Gage Heighten); 1000 (Evan Martin); Mile (Benjamin Castro, Vincent Luffey); 3,000 (Mark Barajas, Carlos Cortez); 60 hurdles (Canaan Fairley, Miguel Hall); high jump (Canaan Fairley); long jump (Horatio Brooks); weight throw (Rhet Punt, Matthew Udemba).

There will also be a large relay pool to fill out the three 4×400 relays and this pool includes newcomers who will only be competing in the relays – Durrell Collins, Abraham Olufemi-Dada, Nickens Lemba – and two returnees also running solely on the relays this weekend – Ethan Krause and Ryan McMeen.

ACU entries for the women include: 60 (Lauren Foxworth, Darinasia Taylor, Kee’Lani Whitlock, Neriah Williams, Morgan Morris, Halle Gunter, Jaeden Thomas); 300 (Morgan Morris, Kaycian Johnson); 600 (Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, Gracee Whiteaker, Jalyn Childers); 1000 (Emma Santoro); Mile (Lola Buentello); 60 hurdles (Hana Banks, Nele Huth, Natalie Poe, Skyla Riedel); high jump (Kaia Anderson, Kennadi Payne, Natalie Poe); long jump (Halle Gunter, Nele Huth, Skyla Riedel, Jaeden Thomas); shot put (Sterling Glenn, Ciara Tilley, Mariana Van Dyk); weight throw (Sterling Glenn, Mariana Van Dyk).

Because the McFerrin Invitational will not have a triple jump in the meet, two Wildcats took part in the OU Winter Field Fest. Arthur Jenkins recorded a 14.94m triple jump, while Mackenzie Flaugher went 11.70m.

The McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational will be held in the Murray Fasken Indoor Track on the Texas A&M campus. The field events will begin at 2 p.m. and the running events at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach Miles Smith: I’m excited to see our kids compete. They have been working hard. We have a lot of newcomers who are getting their first taste of collegiate competition, so it will be fun to watch them compete. Our goal is to come out healthy and learn what we need to work on over the next few weeks before the bulk of our season kicks off in mid-January.

Link

Sports

Petitjean, Weber Set Personal Bests In Boston

Published

1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season with two members of its distance squad competing at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Saturday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.

Senior Sarah Petitjean led the Phoenix in the 3,000 meters, posting a personal-best time of 9:49.97 to place 52nd in a field of 95 runners.

In the 5,000 meters, junior Hannah Weber also set a personal record with a time of 16:29, improving her previous best by nearly three seconds.

ON DECK
Elon will be idle for the winter break before returning to competition on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex.

— ELON —

Link

Sports

Mountaineers Set New 4×400-Meter Relay Meet Record at Indoor Season Opener

Published

1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The App State women’s track and field team opened the 2025-26 indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off on Saturday. A new meet record, set by the 4×400-meter relay quartet of junior Nicole Wells, seniors Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz and Daye Talley, and junior Jayla Adams, punctuated the day’s action.

“This was a great season opener for all event groups to knock the rust off from months ago. The athletes are really motivated to be back from break and start the season.” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “Expectations are high this season, so we have to stay motivated on an elite level to be competitive.”

Wells, Alejandro-Ortiz, Talley, and Adams stopped the clock at 3:45.76 for a new meet record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The previous meet record was 3:49.07, set in 2021 by Duke’s Jenna Crean, Lauren Hoffman, Megan McGinnis, and Kiara Ekeigwe. The Mountaineers were two seconds shy of the App State school record of 3:43.85, which was set at the 2023 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Earlier in the afternoon, Adams and Talley finished third (24.39) and fifth (24.77), respectively, in the women’s seeded 200 meters. Adams remains third in the App State all-time list with her personal best of 24.22, which she set during the 2024 campaign. In the women’s unseeded 200 meters, sophomore Kaitlyn McLeod placed fifth with a time of 25.04.

In her collegiate indoor debut, freshman Alana Braxton posted a pair of first place finishes in the women’s triple jump (12.32m (40′ 5″)) and women’s long jump (5.87m (19′ 3.25″)). Fellow freshman Ashlynn Wimberly landed second with a leap of 12.14m (39′ 10″) and sophomore Jahaila Wright placed sixth with a leap of 11.60m (38′ 0.75″) in the women’s triple jump. With a leap of 5.31m (17′ 5.25″) freshman Kelly MacBride rounded out the top 10 in the women’s long jump.

Senior Ava Studney placed first in the women’s pole vault, recording a clearance of 3.95m (12′ 11.5″).

Junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a time of 7.50 in the women’s 60 meters, coming within 0.08 of her personal best and program record of 7.42, which she set at last season’s SBC Indoor Championships. Wells rounded out the top 10 in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.73.

With a time of 2:18.09, senior Addison Ollendick-Smith placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters. Ollendick-Smith, who stands second all-time in the program record book, was seven seconds shy of her personal best of 2:11.13, which she set last season.

With a personal best toss of 14.70m (48′ 2.75″), junior Dianna Boykin placed eighth in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore Emily Edwards placed eighth with a toss of 12.17m (39′ 11.25″) in the women’s shot put and rounded out the top 10 in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 14.03m (46′ 0.5″).

Up Next

The Mountaineers will resume the indoor track and field season with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International on Jan. 10.

Link

Sports

No. 2 seed ASU volleyball advances to Sweet 16 in NCAA Tournament

Published

3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 11:15 p.m. MT

One step closer.

No. 2 seed Arizona State volleyball is back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.

The Sun Devils defeated Utah State in four sets (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Dec. 5.

“It was really special for me,” senior outside hitter Bailey Miller said. “I was one of the only ones last year when we got upset (in the second round), so I think going into it, all the girls just wanted to recognize all the girls who didn’t get to go to the Sweet 16 last year and took it seriously. It was really special.”

ASU’s return to the Sweet 16 offers a sweeter follow-up to last season’s second-round exit after the Sun Devils earned a hosting bid for the first two rounds. As painful as it was for coach JJ Van Niel, he chose not to let last year cloud the current success.

“I don’t reflect back,” Van Niel said. “That’s negative, but it’s just moving forward. Every year is a new shot, but last year was very painful. Mostly, because I didn’t think we played our best volleyball.”

With few players remaining from last year, Van Niel wasn’t sure how ASU’s season would go and if they’d repeat as Big 12 champions and NCAA Tournament hosts. But his team has done both and added more with a Sweet 16 berth.

“I really had no idea this year what we were going to look like,” Van Niel said. “It’s 100% a new lineup and I’m really proud of these kids because they’ve fought and they’ve scrapped. They’ve all gotten better through the year and they’ve earned this Sweet 16, it’s a really special group.”

What was key for ASU was their defense against a scrappy team that rarely went down in one swing. The Sun Devils were up to the task as they benefited from USU’s 21 attack errors.

USU’s strong offense forced ASU’s middle blockers to front the middle, exploiting their right-side players. While the middle blockers didn’t get as many kills as they did in the first round, it opened the floor for Miller, Noemie Glover and Tatum Parrott.

Miller led ASU with 18 kills on .471 hitting and two errors, a stark improvement from her first-round performance. Glover didn’t commit any errors and had 17 kills on .531 hitting. Parrott added 13 kills.

ASU was serving well again as the Aggies sided out 56.3% of the time, including less than half the time in the first set. Miller’s three aces helped ASU finish with a 7-5 advantage in service aces.

“They’re a great offensive team and their middle (blockers) were very active,” Miller said. “We haven’t really seen a lot of that, so it definitely took some adjusting. But in the end, that’s our bread and butter, being able to adjust and be ready.”

The Aggies got their first lead since early in the first set when they started with an 8-5 edge over ASU in the third set. Instead of putting them away like in the first two sets, ASU had trouble against USU’s attack.

As the third set neared the end, neither side scored twice for six consecutive points until USU got a 24-22 lead over ASU. The Aggies then scored off a bad set from ASU’s Sydney Henry.

The Aggies were strong to start the fourth set, but ASU’s 6-0 run midway through the set helped the Sun Devils gain the separation needed and eliminate them.

The Sun Devils will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, and play No. 3 Creighton in the regional hosted by No. 1 seed Kentucky, either Dec. 12 or 13.

Link