SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the second consecutive month, South Dakota Track and Field freshman Anna Willis is the Kwik Star Summit League Female Peak Newcomer of the Month, announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon.
 
Willis, a pole vaulter from Colorado Springs, Colo., shined nationally during the months of May and June, receiving First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships and earning all-Summit League honors with a runner-up finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Championships.
 
She set her personal best of 14-10 to place second at the Summit League Outdoor Championships, earning all-Summit League honors in her first outdoor conference meet. Willis followed that performance up by taking third at the NCAA West First Round with a 14-6 (4.42m) to advance to the NCAA Championships.
 
The highlight of the postseason for Willis came in Eugene last week, as the freshman was the lone freshman on the first team all-American list in the women’s pole vault, placing fourth at the NCAA Championships with a clearance of 14-6 ¾ (4.44m).

Willis was also the April Kwik Star Summit League Newcomer of the Month. She won the pole vault at the Mt. SAC Relays at 14-9 (4.50m) and was the top collegiate finisher at the Drake Relays.

 

Willis’ season continues this week, as she will compete at the Nike Outdoor Nationals and USATF Under 20 Championships in Eugene, Ore. this week. The women’s pole vault competition is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central Time (5:30 p.m. Pacific) Thursday.

 

The Red Raiders will compete in four preseason tournaments including trips to Florida Atlantic, Georgia and Northern Arizona before coming back to host the Red Raider Classic to end non-conference play. They faced two of the three host teams last year in the Red Raider Classic defeating FAU 3-1 and NAU 3-0.

Tech will open its season with a pair of scrimmages, one intrasquad (8/22) and the other against Tarleton State (8/23) before traveling to Boca Raton where the team will open its season against Western Carolina and FAU (8/29). The Red Raiders will end their trip to Florida against Kent State (8/29) and then make their way just north to Athens, Georgia.

The Red Raiders will face Duke (9/3), Georgia (9/4) and Alabama State (9/5) and then go west of West Texas to face Southern Utah (9/12), NAU (9/12) and UC San Diego (9/13) before returning to Lubbock for their first home matches.

For their home opener, the Red Raiders will welcome in Albany (9/19), Ole Miss (9/19) and UC San Diego (9/20) for the 2025 Red Raider Classic.

Of the team’s 12 non-conference games, five of the opponents have not appeared on Tech’s schedule prior. This will be the first time the Red Raiders have ever played Western Carolina, Kent State, Alabama State, UC San Diego and Albany.

Tech will then open its Big 12 campaign against Baylor (9/24) in the United Supermarkets Arena. The full Big 12 schedule release can be found here.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Kansas City’s Tory Lanham and North Dakota’s Kenna Curry were named the Kwik Star Peak Performers of the Month for May and June, the League announced Thursday. North Dakota State’s Zack Ramos and South Dakota’s Anna Willis claimed Kwik Star Peak Newcomer of the Month honors following standout efforts in track and field.

Lanham was voted the Summit League Championship Men’s Most Outstanding Performer after winning the 200 meters (20.52 seconds), the 4×400 relay (3:12.04), and helping the 4×100 relay squad finish second with a time of 40.46.

 

He earned second-team All-America honors after placing 13th in the 200m at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, clocking 20.52 in the semifinal. 

 

The Roo sophomore broke the Kansas City school record at the NCAA West Preliminaries when he sprinted the 200m in 20.33 seconds to take ninth and qualify for the NCAA Championship.

 

The Kansas City, Mo., native became the first Roo in program history to earn All-America honors in the 200m and the first Kansas City men’s athlete to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2016.

 

Curry was voted the Summit League Outdoor Field MVP on the women’s side after winning the hammer throw with a meet record toss of 223-1 (69.01m), the shot put (51-6.25; 15.70m) and taking second in the discus with a mark of 163-7 (49.86m).    

 

The Elk Point, S.D., product advanced to the NCAA West Prelims in all three events and placed 10th in the hammer (208-2; 63.44m) to qualify for nationals. She went on to earn first-team All-America honors with a program-record throw of 223-7 (68.16m) to place seventh at the NCAA Championships.

 

She becomes just the second first-team All-American in North Dakota’s Division I history.

Ramos was named the Summit League Outdoor Championships Men’s Field MVP after capturing titles in the discus and shot put. The Caldwell, Idaho, native opened with a personal-best throw of 182-4 (55.57m) in the discus to win the event by three feet, then secured the shot put title with a mark of 58-2 (17.73m) on his fifth attempt, edging out the runner-up by just 1.5 inches.

He qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in the shot put and placed 19th with a throw of 60-0.5 (18.30m), narrowly missing advancement to the national meet.

Willis continued a standout freshman campaign by earning first-team All-America honors in the pole vault. The Colorado Springs, Colo., native placed fourth at the NCAA Championships with a clearance of 14-6.75 (4.44m).

 

She set a personal best of 14-10 (4.52m) at the Summit League Outdoor Championships to earn runner-up honors and All-Summit recognition. Willis also placed third at the NCAA West Preliminaries (14-6; 4.42m) to advance to the national meet.

FEMALE KWIK STAR PEAK PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

Kenna Curry, North Dakota

Gr. | Women’s Track and Field | Elk Point, S.D.

• First-team All-American in the hammer throw.
• Summit League Outdoor Championships Field MVP.
• Won the hammer throw and shot put; runner-up in discus.
• Placed seventh at NCAA Championships with school-record toss of 223-7.

• Second career Summit League monthly honor.

Also nominated: Arienne Birch (North Dakota State); Sara Reifenrath (South Dakota)

MALE KWIK STAR PEAK PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

Tory Lanham, Kansas City

So. | Men’s Track and Field| Kansas City, Mo. 

• Second-team All-American in the 200m.
• Summit League Outdoor Championship Most Outstanding Performer.
• Placed 13th at NCAA Championships in 200m (20.52).

• First career Summit League monthly accolade.

Also nominated: Sam Roller (North Dakota State);  Ben Weber (Omaha); Abraham Chelangam (Oral Roberts); Tre Young (South Dakota); Cody Larson (South Dakota State); Joe Vos (St. Thomas).

FEMALE KWIK STAR PEAK NEWCOMER OF THE MONTH

Anna Willis, South Dakota

Fr. | Women’s Track and Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.

• First-team All-American in the pole vault.
• Finished fourth at NCAA Championships (14-6.75; 4.44m).
• Set a personal best of 14-10 (4.52m) at Summit League meet.

• Second career Summit League monthly honor.

Also nominated: Paige Renschler (North Dakota State)

MALE KWIK STAR PEAK NEWCOMER OF THE MONTH

Zack Ramos, North Dakota State

Sr. | Men’s Track and Field | Caldwell, Idaho

• Summit League Outdoor Championships Field MVP.
• Won shot put and discus titles at league meet.
• Placed 19th in the shot put at NCAA West Prelims.

• First career Summit League monthly accolade.

Also nominated: Ethan Thomas (North Dakota); Jaden Damiano (South Dakota) 

2024-25 Peak Performers of the Month

September

Female: Sidney Schetnan, South Dakota State

Male: Sam Bassett, Denver

October

Female: Sylvie Zgonc, South Dakota State

Male: Sam Bassett, Denver

November

Female: Lauren Galvin, St. Thomas

Male: Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State

December

Female: Jalei Oglesby, Oral Roberts

Male: Jacksen Moni, North Dakota State

January

Female: Grace Larkins, South Dakota

Male: Marquel Sutton, Omaha

February

Female: Jadyn Keeler, North Dakota

Male: Marquel Sutton, Omaha

 

March

Female: Maddia Groff, Omaha

Male: Leandro Zgraggen, North Dakota

 

April

Female: Kenna Curry, North Dakota

Male: Cody Larson, South Dakota State

 

May/June

Female: Kenna Curry, North Dakota

Male: Tory Lanham, Kansas City

2024-25 Peak Newcomers of the Month

September

Female: Madison Burr, South Dakota State

Male: Omar Mora, Oral Roberts

October

Female: Madison Russman, North Dakota State

Male: Abraham Chelangam, Oral Roberts

November

Female: Lauren Medeck, South Dakota

Male: Keegan Kelly, Denver

December

Female: Ja Harvey, Omaha

Male: Ethan Thomas, North Dakota

January

Female: Jocelyn Schiller, North Dakota

Male: Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State

February

Female: Emily DiProspero, South Dakota

Male: Nick Keuser, South Dakota State

 

March

Female: Ella McGee, South Dakota

Male: Dante Smith, North Dakota State

April

Female: Anna Willis,  South Dakota

Male: Caleb Rivera, South Dakota 

 

May/June

Female: Anna Willis,  South Dakota

Male: Zack Ramos, North Dakota State

#ReachTheSummit

 

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 18, 2025) – Northern Arizona volleyball is geared up for a competitive 2025 campaign, unveiling a full slate of non-conference challenges and Big Sky matchups. With 10 home matches at Rolle Activity Center, including the annual Lumberjack Classic, fans can look forward to a strong home-court presence this fall. Season tickets are now on sale.

“I’m very excited about this team,” head coach Ken Murphy said. “We grew so much during the offseason in terms of skill, leadership and understanding what we will need to do to take a big step forward as a team. We’ve also added five newcomers to a team that has three players coming off redshirt years, so we will have a new look. With that in mind, we put together a non-conference schedule with more matches and a greater variety of teams to allow our team to grow its identity and really be prepared for the Big Sky schedule.”

The Lumberjacks will open their season at the Lobo Invitational from Aug. 29-30 in Albuquerque, N.M., facing Houston Christian and New Mexico on opening night before going toe-to-toe with Manhattan. The Lobos visited Flagstaff last year for a five-set thriller, with Northern Arizona ultimately taking the victory 3-2.

NAU then heads to Phoenix for the GCU Invitational from Sept. 5-7, where they’ll battle Washington State, East Texas A&M, and host and in-state rival, Grand Canyon.

The Lumberjacks return to Flagstaff for the Lumberjack Classic from Sept. 11-13, hosting a trio of matches including battles against familiar rivals, UC San Diego, Southern Utah, and Big 12 foe Texas Tech. The six-match event will give fans a first look at this year’s team on home court in Rolle Activity Center.

NAU will face seven Big Sky teams twice: Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Portland State, Sacramento State, and Northern Colorado, while playing Eastern Washington and Weber State once.

Conference play begins on Sept. 25 when the Lumberjacks host Idaho. They then travel for three straight games at Idaho State (Sept. 27), Montana State (Oct. 2), and Montana (Oct. 4).

NAU will play two home games against Portland State on Oct. 9 and Sacramento State Oct.11 when they return to Flagstaff. After that, the team travels once more to play Eastern Washington on Oct. 16 and Idaho on Oct. 18.

The team returns home to host Northern Colorado on Oct. 24 before stepping out of conference briefly to face Utah Tech on the road on Oct. 28. Last year, NAU secured back-to-back wins over the Trailblazers, earning a 3-0 sweep on the road in St. George and edging out a 3-2 victory at home in a five-set battle.

The ‘Jacks close out October and start November with a four-match stretch, beginning at home against Montana (Oct. 30) and Montana State (Nov. 1), followed by road trips to Sacramento State (Nov. 6) and Portland State (Nov. 8). They return to Flagstaff for their final homestand, hosting Weber State on Nov. 13 and celebrating Senior Night against Idaho State on Nov. 15.

Regular season wraps up with a high-stakes road matchup at Northern Colorado on Nov. 21. UNC is the defending Big Sky regular-season champion and will host the conference’s postseason tournament from Nov. 24-26.

Season tickets can be purchased here, and the full schedule can be found here.

Stay up to date with the Northern Arizona women’s volleyball team by following on Instagram, X and Facebook.

June is always a month of celebration—and this year was no exception. From graduation to the Aggie Awards, our endowment dinner, and honoring this year’s sport award recipients, we’ve closed out the academic year with incredible moments that reflect the spirit and strength of our community. A special shoutout to our outstanding Aggie ASUCD Fellows, whose leadership continues to elevate the student-athlete experience across our programs. Go Ags!” – Rocko DeLuca, Director of Athletics
 
1) Student-Athlete Spotlight | 2025 Aggie Awards
 
UC Davis Athletics celebrated its student athletes with the annual Aggie Awards, and for the second-straight year the celebration was held on the floor of the University Credit Union Center.
 
A total of 12 awards, six departmental and six voted on by the student athletes themselves, were given out on Sunday evening.
 
“SAAC was thrilled to host the second annual Aggie Awards to celebrate the incredible accomplishments from our athletes this year,” said senior Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Kayla Wolfe (equestrian). “It is always so special to have our athletes recognized for their passion, pride, and dedication to the sport and Aggie community. 
 
“Being a part of SAAC and Athletics has given me some of the most meaningful moments at UC Davis. As my time with SAAC comes to an end, I am so grateful for our amazing executives, staff, and athletes for building such a strong community and constantly raising the bar!”
 
The University Credit Union was once again transformed into a proper awards venue, complete with a “blue carpet” for fit checks, a 360-selfie booth and a large center stage to show case the many Aggie talents.
 

AWARD WINNERS –
Sarah Sumpter Perseverance Award: Kylie Jacobson (Equestrian)
Marya Welch Award (Highest Women’s Team GPA): Women’s Water Polo
Lysle Leach Award (Highest Men’s Team GPA): Men’s Basketball
W.P. Lindley Award (Top Scholar Athlete): Niko Rocak (Men’s Basketball)
Dr. Hubert Heitman Award (Female Athlete of the Year): Sam Tristan (Women’s Soccer)
Colby E. “Babe” Slate Award (Male Athlete of the Year): Lan Larison (Football)
 
STUDENT ATHLETE AWARDS –
New Aggie of the Year: Ximena Cordero Barr (Volleyball)
Aggie Pride: Brody Crouch (Men’s Water Polo)
Best Upset of the Year: Women’s Soccer vs. LSU
Best Moment of the Year: Cason Goodman’s goal against UC Santa Barbara (MSOC)
Women’s Team of the Year: Gymnastics
Men’s Team of the Year: Men’s Soccer
 
2) Stand Up Staff | Thank You Fellows

Kami Brewer-Pozzi: Proud 2023 UC Davis alumni Kami Brewer-Pozzi initially joined UC Davis athletics as a marketing intern before being offered her fellowship position in Ticket Operations. “Kami was instrumental not only in helping us achieve record setting numbers this year but was more importantly an unbelievable leader for our student workers and set a precedent for creating our positive office culture” praised Director of Marketing, Ticketing and Strategy Jack Keys. Leveling up inside the campus network, Brewer-Pozzi accepted a role with the Cal Aggie Alumni Association as a Constituent Engagement Support Specialist early in 2025.  

 

Alex Segovia: Alex Segovia found a love for the hustle in the sports industry while obtaining his master’s degree in Sport Management. Putting his knowledge to work right away, he joined UC Davis as a Ticket Sales fellow to launch his post-graduate career. “Alex made tremendous strides in his sales skills using this opportunity to take the next step in his career,” said Keys. “His efforts helped us connect with the Davis community.” In March of 2025, Segovia took a position with the San Jose Earthquakes as an Account Executive position in Group Sales.

 

Ashley Salem: After spending a year as an Athletics Communications Fellow, Ashley Salem, a former Aggie water polo player, will pursue a Creative Writing MA at the University of Nottingham while playing for their back-to-back championship winning water polo team in the United Kingdom.  “This season Ashley stepped into an important role in the communications department,” said Director of Athletic Communications David Collins. “She quickly learned new skills in a fast-paced environment, while maintaining a positive outlook every day. Her time as MC at water polo matches added to the great atmosphere at Schaal Aquatics Center and football’s home games would not have run smoothly without her hard work. We will miss her in the communications office.” 

Laura Tran: Former Aggie student athlete Laura Tran played lacrosse at UC Davis before earning her degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. Keeping close to the field, she rolled her Aggie pride into the ICA Events and Facilities fellowship position; trusted with game-day setup and operations across a multitude of sports. “We appreciate hiring former UC Davis student athletes,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director, Facilities, Operations, and Capital Projects Maggie Fenton. “Their passion for the Aggies combined with their work ethic gives an immediate boost to the organization’s culture.” 

 

Connor Marohn: Joining the UC Davis Athletics development office at the start of the 2024-25 season, Connor Marohn made an immediate impact on several different departments. Working with both external and internal pieces, Marohn spent the year building strong relationships across UC Davis athletics and the fans and alum that help the Aggies achieve athletic success. “Connor has been a great addition to the development team this year,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director, Chief Development Office Liz Gullett. “He jumped right in taking on a variety of roles to help communicate and steward our donors as well as provide support at Team Aggie events.”

 

3) Donor Impact | Endowment Dinner

 

On May 14 UC Davis athletics hosted its annual Endowment Celebration at the ARC Ballroom, a great event that brings together student athletes and the donors that have played important roles during their time at Davis.

 

This year, close to 100 donors, student-athletes, coaches and members of the senior administration were in attendance with the entire event being hosted by Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca

 

UC Davis athletics holds 76 endowments supporting grant-in-aid scholarships, programmatic needs and three coaching positions.

 

During the evening, student athletes and donors connected to share stories about how endowments and support of UC Davis athletics has impacted them positively. Providing opportunities to compete at the Division I level while also gaining an education from one of the top schools in the world.

 

Speakers during the event included Jamey Wright and Hodgens Family Director of Women’s Water Polo Kandace Waldthaler and former Aggie Jenn Thatcher O’Reilly. O’Reilly spoke about a new award her donations have gone towards, with the Jenn Thatcher ’88 Women’s Cross-Country award now available to assist future Aggies.
 
“The endowment dinner is always a special evening because it’s one of the few chances we get to connect donors directly with student-athletes,” said Gullett. “We not only use this opportunity to show how wonderful our student-athletes are to the people who support them, but we use this as an educational opportunity for our student-athletes to teach them about networking and etiquette in real time.
 
“At the end of the night, it is so great to see donors leaving feeling proud of UC Davis and the student-athletes gaining a better understanding of the support system they have around each of them.”
 
4) In The Community | 16^th Annual Art of Athletes
 
During this past quarter the Manetti Shrem Museum hosted the 16th annual showcase of “Art of Athletes”, an inspiring platform for student-athletes to display their creative talents off the fields, courts and pools of competition.
 
This year Jailen Burrell, a senior on the men’s track and field team and art major, coordinated the showcase which focused on “Athletic Aesthetics”.
 
Over 20 Aggie student athletes participated in the showcase, with over 50 art pieces being shown to friends, family and the Davis community. The pieces hammered home how talented and fully rounded Aggie student athletes are with those creative skills on full display.
 
Women’s basketball senior Mazatlan Harris has been part of the showcase for years and always looks forward to a chance to show off to others how she is more than just a basketball player. “I have a beautiful and intricate mind that expresses itself through art,” said Harris. “It makes me feel valuable and seen as more than I am.” 

Throughout the night guests were treated to a captivating array of artwork that spanned from painting and drawings to photography and videography. Each piece spoke volumes of the vision and voice of each student athlete as they put themselves and their artistic vision on display.

 

“Corn-rose was a very special piece for me,” recalls Harris. “It expresses how black hair is something that can be seen as beautiful in any form. The style, history, and pattern are beautiful.”

 

As the evening ended, student-athlete advisor Leo Lamanna expressed gratitude to the Manetti Shrem Museum for once again hosting the event while commending Burrell on his work coordinating this year’s showcase.

 

Walking out the door, attendees took with them the memories of captivating artwork but also a peek into the creative side of UC Davis student athletes.

 

5) Aggies In Competition | Total Award Numbers

 

During the 2024-25 season, UC Davis brought in many team and individual awards, sending several teams to the NCAA National Championships while earning many All-American and All-Conference honorees.

The trophy is back where it belongs.#GoAgs pic.twitter.com/lSnrG5U9cH

— UC Davis Men’s Soccer (@ucdavismsoc) November 16, 2024

This past season UC Davis …
 
Qualified four teams for the NCAA National Championship
– Men’s Soccer
– Football
– Gymnastics
– Women’s Golf
 
The Aggies had …
 
13 All-Americans
89 Individual All-Conference winners
Three Conference Athlete of the Year Awards
10 All-Regions Athletes
Seven Individual National Championship qualifiers
One Conference Tournament team title
288 Academic All-Conference honorees
22 National Academic honorees
Eight CSC Academic All-District honorees
 

NASHVILLE – Two rising sophomores Devin Jones and Avery McKinnon from the Tennessee State University men’s track and field program will take the national stage this week at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, held June 18–25 in Eugene, Oregon.

Jones, a middle-distance standout, will compete in the 800 meter following an impressive outdoor campaign. He posted a personal-best time of 1:51.04 at the Georgia Tech Invitational in April and has demonstrated steady progression throughout the season. His spring resume includes times of 1:53.18 at the Music City Challenge and 1:54.03 at the OVC Outdoor Championships.

McKinnon will compete in the triple jump, entering the national meet with a season-best mark of 14.99m (49′ 2.25″), recorded at the OVC Outdoor Championships. He also notched strong performances at the Georgia Tech Invitational (14.37m) and the Music City Challenge (13.94m), highlighting both his consistency and growth potential.

The USATF U20 Outdoor Championships serve as the selection meet for the World Athletics U20 Championships, providing top finishers the opportunity to represent Team USA on the international stage.