Sports
Track and Field: Area athletes litter Class 1A and Class 2A – Brainerd Dispatch
ST. MICHAEL — Pequot Lakes knows how to jump.
The Patriots will send five different athletes in field events to the Class 2A State Track and Field meet June 11-12 at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
Oliver McKenna, Bode Eggena and Becker Lipke all qualified for the high jump. McKenna won the section title by clearing 6-foot-3, while Eggena and Lipke cleared the state standard of 6-1.
Senior Reese Laposky returns to state in the long jump and adds the high jump to her list this year. Laposky cleared a state standard of 5-1 in the high jump and a state standard of 16-7.25 in the long jump. He placed 21st at state last year with a 16-2.25.
Grace Knutson also cleared the state standard of 5-1 in the high jump.
“Five out of our six high jumpers are going to the state track meet, which is pretty cool,” Pequot coach Brian Homan said. “Oliver is a young freshman who broke the section record and then Bode and Becker are both returning. Reese is another high jumper and also returns in the long jump. The trick for her will be managing her time as they both go on at the same time.”
On the track, Pequot’s Brooklin Hansen qualified for the 100-meter hurdles and three girls’ relay teams made it, too.
“Grace is a seventh grader, so she comes with very little experience,” Pequot coach Jeff Brever said. “We moved her up from junior high halfway through the year and she blossomed. Brooklin is a ninth grader and it’s the same concept, just try to get into the finals.”
Ashley Slaybaugh, Josie Taylor, Lila Nordby and Ava Merta make up the 4×100 relay team. Slaybaugh, Taylor and Merta and joined by Chelby Wothe for the 4×200 relay team. While Slaybaugh, Taylor and Wothe team with Carlie Eggert in the 4×400 relay.
“We have a lot of the same girls back and we are bringing the experience to state,” Brever said. “We need to touch up some things, but right now we are the third best in the state and we want to make the finals for our relays.”
The Little Falls Flyers will send five to state in Noah Cameron (300 hurdles), Elise Ballou (pole vault), Madeline Chisholm (high jump), Kobi Cameron (pole vault) and Malin Youngberg (3200 run).
Youngberg won the section title in the 3200 in 11:09.32.
Pierz’s Aiden Jones highlights the multiple area athletes in the Class 1A State Track and Field meet June 10-11 at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
Jones will compete in three events. He won the Section 5-1A title in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and teamed with Brayden Foust, Paul Nieman and Kyle Stangl to qualify in the 4×100.
Foust placed second in the 100 dash to reach state, while Kaleb Poser (300 hurdles) and Wyatt Betsinger (1600 run) also qualified.
Aitkin’s Isaiah Baker will compete in two events after winning the Section 7-1A title in the triple and high jumps.
Pillager’s Violette Metz advanced in three events by winning the Section 6-1A title in the 200 dash, 300 hurdles and teaming with Veronica Metz, Sophie Schlosser and McKenna Camacho in the 4×100 relay. Camacho qualified in the triple jump.
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Staples-Motley’s Audrey Brownell is one of the favorites in the 1600 and 3200 runs at state.
“She’s going to be ready,” S-M head coach Bruce Fuhrman said. “I think she has a good chance. The one she really wants is the two-mile and she seems like she’s at full strength.”
S-M’s Avandre Brandt is back at state in the 200 dash and high jump. Sawyer Ferdon qualified in the triple and long jumps. Turner Beachy is a section champ in the pole vault, Noah Larson won the 110 hurdles and Adrian Gomez qualified in the shot put.
“I’m hoping Noah can make it out of the prelims,” Fuhrman said. “He should be in the hunt for a medal. If Turner can turn it up like he has, I think he has a chance of winning. Avandre’s best chance is going to be in the 200 and Sawyer has a chance to medal in the triple jump.”
Pillager’s Andrew Brown (100 dash) and Frank Brown (high jump) will compete along with the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams of Dawson Weihandl, Dru Hutchinson, Tyson Becker and Frank Brown.
“Andrew had a great showing at sections,” Pillager head coach Jim Bentson said. “He’s been consistently under 11 seconds all year. That leads into the relay teams and he and Tyson are inseparable. We moved Dawson from the 400, 200 to the 100, 200, so we had him coming off the blocks, which helped. Frank has always been consistent for us and he knows that we’re starting at six feet and he’s been there.”
Wadena-Deer Creek’s Amber Collins won the section title in the 400 dash to return. WDC’s Grant Nelson returns in the 800 run. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale’s Brady Rach qualified in the 800 and 1600 runs.
Callie Norman (triple jump) is the lone Pine River-Backus Tiger at state.
Crosby-Ironton’s AJ Westin made state in the 800 with a section title. C-I’s 4×100 relay of Evan Ryberg, Michael Anderson, Braylon Kannell and Jeremy Hanson placed second at sections to qualify.
Lucy Lewandowski returns to state in the pole vault. C-I’s 4×400 relay (Margaret Ringhand, Sammie Hachey, Anna Westin, Maria Ringhand) and 4×800 relay (Maria Ringhand, Madeline Lacerte, Margaret Ringhand, Westin) teams also qualified.
Aitkin’s Ashley Asmus (800 run) and Brita Westman (100 hurdles) reached state.
Pierz’s Quinn Gruber (800 run), Beverly Rentz (shot put) and Payton Stangl (discus) reached state along with the 4×100 (Avery Gruber, Claire Gruber, Aurora Walberg, Lydia Prokott) and 4×800 (Chloe Lochner, Morgan Litke, Sophie Leidenfrost, Quinn Gruber) relay teams.
CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad.engstrom@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_rad34.
Sports
Keresey, Pierre, Monday Bring Home GNAC Weekly Recognition
STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine was well-represented, with sophomore Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week, junior Tudum Monday (Lewiston, Maine) selected as GNAC Field Athlete of the Week, and freshman Stephen Pierre (Turner, Maine) earning GNAC Rookie of the Week recognition following their performances at the USM Alumni Open.
Keresey claimed Track Athlete of the Week after placing second in the mile with a time of 4:31.81 and running on Saint Joseph’s second-place 4×400-meter relay that clocked 3:42.01. Keresey is now the top-ranked miler in the GNAC and sits ninth in Division III New England early in the 2025-26 indoor season.
Pierre was tabbed Rookie of the Week after setting two school records at the USM Alumni Open. He won the long jump with a mark of 6.81m (22′ 4.25″), meeting the New England Division III automatic qualifying standard, and placed second in the 55-meter hurdles in 7.98, a New England Division III provisional time. Pierre now leads the GNAC in both events and is ranked sixth in Division III New England in the long jump and eighth in Division III New England in the hurdles as of December 14.
Monday earned Field Athlete of the Week honors by winning the triple jump with a mark of 13.03m (42′ 9″), meeting the New England Division III provisional standard. He also ran 8.24 in the 55-meter hurdles prelims, meeting the New England Division III provisional standard in that event as well. Monday ranks first in the GNAC in the triple jump by 60 centimeters and sits 14th in Division III New England.
Sports
Saint Joseph’s Women Sweep Three GNAC Weekly Awards
STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine was well-represented, with freshman Amber Pendleton (Warren, Maine) named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week, sophomore Olivia Bean (South Portland, Maine) selected as GNAC Field Athlete of the Week, and freshman Olivea Miller (Livermore Falls, Maine) earning GNAC Rookie of the Week recognition following their performances at the USM Alumni Open.
Pendleton claimed Track Athlete of the Week after winning the 500 meters in 1:27.86, setting a Saint Joseph’s program record. She also competed on the winning 4×400-meter relay that recorded a time of 4:30.61.
Miller was tabbed Rookie of the Week after placing second in the 200 meters in 27.37, meeting the New England Division III provisional qualifying standard. She also finished second in the high jump with a clearance of 1.47m (4′ 9.75″). Miller now leads the GNAC in both events and is ranked 21st in Division III New England in the 200m and 26th in Division III New England in the high jump as of December 14.
Bean earned Field Athlete of the Week honors by winning the triple jump with a school-record mark of 10.72m (35′ 2″), meeting the New England Division III provisional standard. She also placed eighth in the long jump with a best of 4.68m (15′ 4.25″). Bean’s record-setting triple jump mark currently ranks seventh in the New England region.
Sports
2025 CWRU Women’s Cross Country Season Recap
The Case Western Reserve University women’s cross country team saw a talented class of first-year runners lead the way, as the team was represented at the NCAA Division III Championships for the sixth time in the last seven years in 2025.
CWRU was led by a pair of first-years, as Francesca Taracila was the top-finishing Spartan in three races during the year, while Halina Tompkins crossed the finish line first among Spartans on four occasions. Taracila got stronger as the season went on and was the first CWRU runner to cross the line at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, earning an NCAA Championship berth with a ninth-place finish overall at the meet with a career-best time of 22:28.8 in the women’s 6K.
Taracila went on to place 74th out of 290 total finishers at the NCAA Division III Championship in Spartanburg, South Carolina the following week. Her time of 22:35.9 was the seventh-fastest among 45 total first-year runners at the meet. It marked the 22nd consecutive season that the Spartans have been represented by at least one men’s or women’s team member at the NCAA Division III Championship.
In addition to Taracila, Tompkins also claimed all-region honors with a 26th-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championship. Also scoring for the Spartans at the meet were seniors Arianna Holbrook (41st) and Ayla Grabenbauer (42nd), along with first-year Reid Smith (46th). CWRU placed sixth out of 37 total teams at the regional championship.
CWRU also placed seventh at the UAA Championship on November 1 behind a 29th-place finish from Tompkins and a 33rd-place finish from Taracila.
The Spartans were featured in all nine United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region polls during the year, and were ranked as high as fourth in the region over the course of the campaign. CWRU has been ranked in 12 consecutive regional polls dating back to last season.
Other highlights from the season included team wins at both the Daniel Mullen Memorial Invitational on October 4 and the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble on October 18. CWRU placed five runners in the top-10 at the Daniel Mullen Invite, including Taracila (second), first-year Aditi Mukundhan (fourth), sophomore Cecilia Postma (fifth), Smith (sixth), and sophomore Becca Liaw (ninth). Tompkins also led the way at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble with a 10th-place finish and was followed by Taracila (12th), Holbrook (16th), Liaw (21st), and Mukundhan (22nd). Eight of the 12 Spartan runners who competed at Oberlin recorded season-best times, including Tompkins, whose time of 22:17.9 was the fastest by a Spartan in 2025.
The Spartans added a third-place finish out of 11 teams at the Pre-National Meet and opened the season with a 15-50 win over John Carroll at the Bill Sudeck Invitational with each of the top seven finishers in the race coming from CWRU.
In addition to the team’s athletic success during the season, eight members of the women’s cross country team received UAA Fall All-Academic honors, including Grabenbauer, senior Julia Hluck, senior Lauren Iagnemma, sophomore Ciara Ledford, Liaw, senior Medha Patria, Postma, and sophomore Julia Walko.
The Spartans earned the following individual honors during the 2025 season:
Sports
Tigers Open Season at UCCS Pre-Holiday Meet
Colorado College opened the 2025-26 track & field season at the Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite and Multi last weekend at UCCS.
Freshman Riley Webb posted the best individual performance for the Tigers, placing fourth in the women’s 400 with a time of 1:01.42. Senior Allison Barker followed in sixth place in 1:02.92 and sophomore Chloe Johnson was 14th in 1:07.65.
Senior Emma Jones and freshman Jane Keenan tied for 10th in the pole vault, while sophomore Jordyn Tomlinson placed 12th in the shot put.
Junior Zaniya Bruno Munn and sophomore Keely Lueckeman ran in the prelims of the 60-meter dash, while Lueckeman and fellow sophomore Clara Kirr competed in the prelims of the 200-meter dash.
The Tigers return to action at the Colorado Invitational, Jan. 23-24, in Boulder, Colo.
Sports
Volleyball Announces 2026 Freshman Signing Class
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary volleyball announced the signing of three student-athletes to its incoming 2026 freshman class on Monday. Joining the Tribe is Regan Hill, Emily McKee, and Teagan Pocius.
“We are so excited to welcome our 2026 signing class!” said William & Mary interim head coach Emma Minnick. This group brings high-level club experience, strong talent, and an immediate commitment to our program’s culture and goals. We are confident they will elevate our play and we can’t wait for them to join the team!”
| 2026 W&M TRIBE VOLLEYBALL FRESHMAN SIGNING CLASS | |||
| NAME | POS | HT | HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL |
| Regan Hill | OPP | 5-10 | Garnet Valley, Pa. / Garnet Valley HS |
| Emily McKee | OH | 5-11 | Stamford, Conn. / King School |
| Teagan Pocius | MB | 6-0 | St. Louis, Mo. / Marquette HS |
Regan Hill
5-10 • Opposite hitter • Garnet Valley, Pa. • Garnet Valley High School
HIGH SCHOOL: Two-time first team all-state selection at Garnet Valley High School where she holds the school record for kills, blocks, and aces… Earned all-district and All-Central League honors three times… Varsity captain… Played for club teams Dynamic Volleyball Academy and East Coast Power.
PERSONAL: Intends to major in biology… Had a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and National Art Society… Four-time honor roll selection and two-time distinguished honor roll… Grandfather played football at Northwestern College in Iowa.
Why W&M? “I chose William & Mary because it has a really strong academic program and opportunities to help me in my career development. I’m also excited to get the chance to play volleyball there, challenging myself both academically and athletically. Lastly, the atmosphere there is everything I was hoping for. The community is so supportive, and the campus is beyond gorgeous.”
Emily McKee
5-11 • Outside hitter • Stamford, Conn. • King School
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year varsity player and two-year captain at King School in Connecticut… Four-time FAA All-League First Team selection… Named 2025 NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year… Helped lead King to four FAA championships, four NEPSAC championships, and three undefeated seasons with a total record of 86-1… Holds the school record for kills with over 1,000… Named to the 2025 AVCA All-American Watchlist and AVCA Girls High School All-Region Team playing for Northeast Volleyball Club.
PERSONAL: Intends to major in business… Participated in the Fellowship Friday Mentor & Clinker Buddy Program Mentor, which provides mentoring to younger students in the community… Earned high honors in the classroom every year of her high school career.
Why W&M? “I chose William & Mary because the sense of belonging I felt with the volleyball team was unmatched. It’s a place where I know I’ll be pushed both academically and athletically, and the program’s supportive, competitive, and team-oriented culture truly stood out to me. I can’t wait to get on campus and be a part of this program.”
Teagan Pocius
6-0 • Middle blocker • St. Louis, Mo. • Marquette High School
HIGH SCHOOL: All-state, all-district and all-conference selection at Marquette High School… Owns school records for career kills (986), career blocks (413), single-season blocks (139), single-game kills (32), and single-game blocks (10)… Named to the 2024 USAV All-Tournament Team… Earned AVCA All-Region honors in 2024 and 2025… Tabbed to the AVCA All-America Watch List… Played for Rockwood Thunder Club team.
PERSONAL: Intends to major in business analytics… Had a 3.96 GPA and was a four-time academic all-state selection… Has played viola in orchestra since fourth grade… Member of the National Honor Society.
Why W&M? “I chose W&M because it’s literally a complete package. It has everything down to the academics, the athletics, the team, and the environment I was looking for. Truly, [it was] such an easy choice to make.”
FOLLOW TRIBE VOLLEYBALL
Fans can keep up with the Tribe by following @WMTribeVB on X/Twitter and Instagram.
Sports
K-State Track Host Winter Camp at Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track
Starting December 29 through March 4, from 5:00-6:30 p.m., attendees will develop proper running mechanics, speed, strength and event specific skills. Coaches will also teach injury prevention and warm-up/cool-down techniques.
Dates:
December 29
January 5, 12, 19, 26
February 4, 11, 18, 25
March 4
Attendees will be charged $750, plus a $41.50 fee, and are expected to bring their own athletic gear and necessary equipment. Any questions can be sent to assistant coach Trey Brokaw at tbrokaw@kstatesports.com or (309) 335-3895.
— k-statesports.com —
How to follow the ‘Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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