Greensboro, NC – Isabella Gerena recorded a personal best time in the 3000m Steeplechase to lead the Pride at the CAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gerena finished the race in 10th place with a time of 11:21.40.

Allison Reid finished the 1500m trials with a time of 4:53.83 to finish in 25th place out of the 29-runner field. In the 10,000m race, Saralyn Frederick finished with a time of 38:43.33 to place 18th of 18 runners. 

Elon leads the team competition with 44 points, with Hampton in second place with 29. As a team, Hofstra is not ranked. 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In partnership with Polk County Public Schools and Visit Central Florida Sports, the Florida High School Boys Volleyball State Championships return this weekend to the Winter Haven Health Center on the campus of Polk State College in Winter Haven. This will be the third straight year that Polk State College will host the boys championship event, but the first year the event consists of three separate classifications. The three-day event will comprise of semifinal matches on Thursday and Friday, followed by all championship matches on Saturday.

Some event notables heading into the weekend include the 2024 state champion Winter Park returning to the event to defend their title and seek their third overall championship school history. However, with the addition of the two new classifications, the Wildcats will do so in the newly formed Class 3A. Should they advance to the championship match on Saturday, they could see their 2024 opponent Southwest Miami who are also seeking their fourth overall title.  All remaining teams in the field this year will be seeking their first ever  state championship in the sport.

Tickets are currently on sale via GoFan for $14.00 if purchased in advance and $17.00 if purchased the day of, with no onsite ticket sales taking place. Tickets are general admission and good for the entire day of competition. Additionally, there will be no charge for parking onsite, as the $3.00 cost is already included in each ticket of admission. For a complete schedule, along with the playoff brackets and any additional event information, please see below or visit the boys volleyball sport page.

 

2025 Boys Volleyball State Championships (Thursday, May 15 – Saturday, May 17) 

State Championship Tournament Match Schedule

Thursday, May 15

• Class 1A State Semifinal #1, 4 p.m.
  

  • SLAM (Tampa) vs. True North (Miami)

• Class 1A State Semifinal #2, 7 p.m.

  • J.C. Bermudez (Doral) vs. King’s Academy (West Palm Beach)

Friday, May 16

• Class 2A State Semifinal #1, 10 a.m.
  

  • Lake Howell (Winter Park) vs. Suncoast (Riviera Beach)

• Class 2A State Semifinal #2, 1 p.m.

  • Gulf Breeze vs. Reagan (Doral)

• Class 3A State Semifinal #1, 4 p.m.

  • Horizon (Winter Garden) vs. Winter Park

• Class 3A State Semifinal #2, 7 p.m.

  • Seminole Ridge (Westlake) vs. Southwest Miami

Saturday, May 17

• Class 1A State Championship, 1 p.m.
  

  • Defending champion: Winter Park 

• Class 2A State Championship, 4 p.m.

  • Defending champion: new classification

• Class 3A State Championship, 7 p.m.

  • Defending champion: new classification

Know Before You Go:
Where: Polk State College – Winter Haven Health Center (Winter Haven)
When: Thursday, May 15^th – Saturday, May 17^th  
Host: Polk County Public Schools
Tournament Brackets: Class 3A | Class 2A | Class 1A
Event Schedule & Results: click here
Admission: $14.00 with advance purchase and $17.00 the day of

• All tickets available via GoFan with NO onsite ticket sales taking place
• $3.00 cost of parking included in each ticket of admission 

Parking: fee included in ticket of admission with all proceeds retained by the Host
Official Merchandise: Team IP
Event Photography: Fastbreak Connect
Live Webcast(s): NFHS Network
Lodging and Event Information: click here*

*This is a collection of resources provided by the host organization to better assist you in your travel and stay within Polk County. All lodging and attractions will need to be contacted for more information, and are not directly affiliated with the FHSAA or Local Organizing Committee.

 

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Want to become a Brevard County firefighter? Now is your chance with an annual sponsorship award offered by Brevard County Fire Rescue.

One young scholarship recipient says he has a personal motivation to serve the public.

Jeff Gauvin steps away from the stress of working two jobs, seven days a week, with his music. His goal is to pay his car off.

Jeff Gauvin is looking to become a firefighter-paramedic after his grandmother passed away in a house fire two years ago.

“For me, it’s just something I want to be a part of, to make sure nobody else has to go through that phone call, because my dad called me when it happened,” Gauvin said. “I found out through him. That’s something I want to help prevent.”

Gauvin is on his way to becoming a first responder after being awarded one of 34 Brevard County Fire Rescue firefighter sponsorships.

Gauvin and the others will attend Eastern Florida State College for emergency medical technician or fire academy training.

Since the program began in 2021, the department has hired 72 recipients, and 19 more are currently in the hiring process.

Gauvin, who now works two jobs, seven days a week and gets away from the stress of that with his music, learned about the scholarship through a friend who is an EMT in Orlando.

“He’s going to work with me when I’m going through school and help me through the process,” Gauvin says.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, about 25,700 openings for firefighters/paramedics were expected nationwide each year from 2023 to 2033.

The national average for demand nationwide by 2026 is 8%, and Florida stands at 7%, according to the Labor Department.

The increase in demand can be attributed to injuries, job transfers and retirements, officials said.

The training to get new firefighters and paramedics ready for their jobs is physically taxing.

“I lift Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I run every day after work,” Gauvin said. “I just get it in.”

He recommends the path to anyone.

“They are with you the whole way through,” Gauvin said. “They’re telling you what to do. They are motivating you and giving you some words of encouragement.”

The fourth annual BCFR sponsorship signing day is May 28 at 3 p.m. at Station 48 in the Viera community.

Playing the outfield alongside Serrano were 2024 first-rounder Carson Benge and spark plug A.J. Ewing. Benge, Ewing and Serrano rotate between the three outfield posts, each rangy enough for center and with enough arm for right.

The Cyclones’ infield alignment is similarly fluid. Jesus Baez, Boston Baro and Marco Vargas make most middle infield starts. Baez and Baro play third base, as well, but the club’s primary hot corner option is emerging 21-year-old slugger Jacob Reimer, the South Atlantic League player of the month in April. 

Reimer played shortstop in high school, dabbled in left field in the Arizona Fall League last year and was beginning to see more action at first base this spring. He has kept mashing after his award-winning April, and no minor leaguer with at least 100 plate appearances had a higher wRC+ than his 198 heading into mid May.

Both of Brooklyn’s 21-year-old catchers also figure in the club’s first base mix. Christopher Suero and Ronald Hernandez both can hit and both play multiple positions. Suero even plays left field sometimes.

“This team is special. It’s one of the best teams I’ve been a part of,” said Brooklyn first-year hitting coach Bryan Muniz, who worked in the same capacity for the Astros’ High-A Asheville affiliate last year. 

“Development comes first, but the hunger to want to win stands out with this team.”

A typical Brooklyn lineup includes seven, eight or nine top 30-caliber prospects, with a defensive alignment that changes daily. Every one of the highlighted players but Serrano throws righthanded, allowing for maximum versatility, to the point where Ewing, who was a high school shortstop, plays second base at times.

In fact, “high school shortstop” is a common theme for the 2025 Cyclones. It applies to Baro, Ewing and Reimer. Baez and Vargas also entered pro ball as teenage shortstops, in their cases hailing from the Dominican Republic and Mexico, respectively.  

In recent drafts, the Mets have earmarked bonus pool money to go over slot to sign talented prep shortstops away from college commitments. In 2022, it was fourth-rounder Reimer, who missed most of last season with a serious hamstring injury. In 2023, it was supplemental fourth-rounder Ewing and eighth-rounder Baro. 

Now, Baro, Ewing and Reimer are teammates in a Brooklyn lineup that is the third youngest in the SAL. More important than the Cyclones’ youth is the fact that they are scoring runs, winning games and building the camaraderie that follows from playing well individually and succeeding collectively.

From winning, team chemistry often springs, and the vibes are strong in the Brooklyn clubhouse. Benge and Serrano are natural team leaders, based on them being two of the older position prospects and both having power conference backgrounds in college.

Muniz credits Serrano with having a “big voice” and “good energy” for the Cyclones. As leadoff man, he sets the tone in more ways than one. The 6-foot-5 lefthanded batter hits the ball hard and is working to get in the best position for the long levers in his swing to play. 

Benge starred as a two-way player at Oklahoma State and was drafted 19th overall last year. His bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions are already well-defined. The lefthanded hitter can let the ball travel deep and hit with authority to the opposite field, which Muniz refers to as Benge’s superpower.

Now, Benge is making progress hitting breaking pitches in the air to his pull side to tap into his power. 

“He’s been a great team guy,” Muniz said. “He picks teammates up. He knows when to joke. He’s just special in the clubhouse, where he goes out of his way to talk to teammates.”

Brooklyn ranks third in the SAL in runs scored, just a few behind league leaders Hudson Valley and Greensboro. No Cyclones squad has ever finished higher than 10th out of 12 teams previously as a full-season affiliate, a period dating back to 2021. 

For the Cyclones, it’s a total team effort. They lead the SAL in batting average and slugging. They rank second in home runs, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Their lineup is balanced. Baro, Benge, Ewing, Serrano and Vargas bat lefthanded, while Baez, Reimer and Suero bat righthanded. Hernandez is a natural righty who switch-hits.

Success for the Cyclones’ lefthanded hitters is notable. A strong ocean breeze blows in from right field at Brooklyn’s Maimonides Park and tends to knock down fly balls hit in that direction. The park is one of the most difficult for lefthanded hitters to homer in among all 120 full-season minor league venues.  

“At the end of the day, baseball is baseball. And it’s been the same for 100 years,” Muniz said. “While our home park is pitcher-friendly, consistency is what’s important. Swing at the right pitches, and you’ll make more contact, and you’ll hit the ball hard.

“We’re trying to make you a big leaguer, not a High-A all-star. A hard line drive might get caught up in the wind in right field in Brooklyn, (whereas) a pop fly to right field might go out in (hitter-friendly) Asheville. But which of those will play in Citi Field?”

Brooklyn’s team ERA is second best in the league—no surprise given the Cyclones’ home park—which yields a plus-54 team run differential that is second only to Hudson Valley in the SAL. 

If they can keep up the pace, the Cyclones’ .625 winning percentage would be far and away the highest for a Mets full-season affiliate this decade. The Low-A St. Lucie Mets finished with a .566 mark in 2022, but that team was an older one without a ton of prospect juice, aside from partial seasons from college arms Christian Scott and Mike Vasil.  

And while there’s still a lot of baseball to be played this season, the 2025 Brooklyn Cyclones are setting a standard of excellence among Mets affiliates.

“We’re very excited about our Brooklyn roster,” Mets farm director Andrew Christie said. “The depth of talent there is emblematic of the type of system we believe we have. 

“Our goal is to develop major league talent while winning games at the minor league level, and this year’s Cyclones team is leading the charge.”

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Two Warriors were named to the 2025 NCAA Division II USTFCCCA Outdoor Track & Field All-Region team. Freshmen Ella Voit and MacKenzie Wissbroecker each earned the honor after impressive seasons.
 
Voit, a freshman from Sauk Rapids, Minn., won the 2025 NSIC Outdoor 3000m Steeplechase championships after turning in a time of 10:48.26 last weekend. Voit has been a key component of the distance team during her first year at Winona State.
 
Wissbroecker, a freshman from Antigo, Wis., has rewritten the WSU record books in the long jump during her first season as a Warrior. Wissbroecker set the new Winona State outdoor long jump record twice with the best being a jump of 6.31 meters.
 

All Region honors for the 2025 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the conclusion of the regular season. Top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region honors, in addition to each of the members of a top-3 ranked relay team.
 
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.