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June 17, 2025

A game of beach volleyball in Georgetown, anyone?

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
Not only had Nathaniel Ezekiel not been beaten in a 400-meter hurdles race since last summer’s Paris Olympics, the Baylor senior had rarely even been pushed during the NCAA outdoor track and field season.
 
“I feel like the whole season, I’ve actually been competing against myself,” he said.
 

In the semifinals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ezekiel beat former Baylor teammate Johnny Brackins of USC by more than two seconds. And when he was finally pushed by Texas A&M senior Ja’Qualon Scott over the last 100 meters in Friday’s final, the Nigerian Olympian responded.
 
“That was pretty cool,” said Ezekiel, who pulled away from Scott down the stretch to win in a school-record time of 47.49 seconds that ranks as the third-fastest in NCAA history and the fourth-fastest time in the world this year.
 

“I think sometimes, when there’s a lot of pressure, that’s when you actually do your best. I felt the guy from A&M right behind me, and I was like, ‘No, bro, no way you’re getting first!’ The pressure was good, I love it. Feeling that kind of pressure from someone for the first time in the season, I was like, ‘Okay, this is good. I just have to kick it again.”’
 
Baylor head coach Michael Ford said Ezekiel “set it up really well” in the early stages of Friday’s final.
 
“I thought those first six hurdles, he set it up like he wanted to,” Ford said. “I think he had a small little issue on, I want to say, hurdle eight. I think he got a little too close to it. He was running really well through there, but then he cleaned up hurdle nine. And hurdle nine is usually the one that I’m always concerned about him.
 
“I always tell him to go have fun. Just execute like you’ve been doing all year. You’re the only one that has run under 48 this year. Just do what you’ve been doing.”
 
One of 10 male candidates on the latest update for the Bowerman Award that’s presented to the top collegiate track and field athletes of the year, Ezekiel capped off his phenomenal four-year career at Baylor with his first NCAA national championship.
 
 A nine-time All-American, Ezekiel was a two-time bronze medalist in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles and was the runner-up in the 400 meters at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championship, losing by one-hundredth of a second to Georgia’s Will Floyd.
 
“It’s amazing,” said Ezekiel, Baylor’s first national champion in the 400 hurdles since two-time winner Bayano Kamani (1999, 2001) and the Bears’ first outdoor national champion since Trayvon Bromell won the 100 meters in 2014. “I didn’t get it indoors, but I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do my best to bring it home in the outdoors.’ And I did. I should say God did. and I’m grateful.”
 
It was also Ford’s first NCAA outdoor national champion in four years as the head coach. Alexis Brown, who won the NCAA indoor championship in the long jump, was the bronze medalist outdoors.
 
“My first national champion as a (Baylor sprints) coach was here with Trayvon, so I told them, ‘Who’s going to be my first national champ as a head coach out here?”’ Ford said. “And Nate was the one who did it. it’s always going to be special to me, having our first national champion in Nate in the 400 hurdles.”
 
The Nigerian record-holder as well, Ezekiel is turning pro this summer and could be back in Eugene for a Diamond League meet on July 5. Ultimately, his goal would be to go against the best in the world at the World Championships Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo.
 
Ezekiel was actually ranked No. 2 in the world until Sunday, when reigning Olympic gold medalist Raj Benjamin (46.54) from the U.S. and Brazilian bronze medalist Alison dos Santos (46.68) were both clocked in under 47 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden.
 
“It’s pretty amazing to run a fast time, 47.49, in my last race being a Baylor Bear,” Ezekiel said. “Obviously, I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve put that into practice. I consider myself a professional athlete, and I have the mindset to do something better.”
 
Ford will be back in Eugene even earlier, returning for the USA Track and Field U20 Championships that begin Thursday at historic Hayward Field, where the Bears will be represented by freshman sprinter Hannah Lowe and triple jumper Iyanna Webb.
 
A Bowerman Award candidate as well, Brown and junior sprinter Tiriah Kelley are scheduled to compete in the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships July 31-Aug. 3 in Eugene, vying for spots in the World Championships in Tokyo.
 
 
 

An institution that has long been one of the nation’s foremost track and field hubs is still producing results on the national stage.

Last week, Penn track and field sent five athletes to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in Eugene, Ore., with all five earning All-American honors for their efforts. Leading the pack was senior jumper Kampton Kam, who finished eighth in the high jump for a first team All-American nod.

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Junior hurdler Ryan Matulonis was named a second team All-American following his 15th place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, while 2025 College graduate and distance specialist Dylan Throop, junior hurdler Alex Sadikov, and senior thrower Angeludi Asaah all earned All-American honorable mentions in their respective events.

“It was a super amazing feeling to finally be first team All-American at Hayward Field,” Kam told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I’ve been to indoor nationals twice, and this is my first time making it to outdoor nationals, so I was elated to make it out of regionals especially being ranked third in the NCAA coming in.”

Ahead of the national meet, Kam’s season-best clearance of 2.25 meters at April’s South Florida Invitational was good for third-best in the nation. In Eugene, he cleared 2.10m and 2.15m on his first attempts but failed to surpass the next height of 2.20m. Only one athelte, Mississippi jumper Arvesta Troupe, bested Kam’s season-best. Troupe jumped 2.27m in the final flight to bring home the national championship crown.

Kam described a persistent foot injury as a factor that hampered his performance.

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“I was dealing with a stress reaction on my foot two weeks after Penn Relays and had to modify my run-up to even jump after that,” Kam said. “Initially, I was optimistic that I’d recover in time for nationals, but as the time passed, it didn’t seem to get better, and a sprain at [the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships] made it worse.”

“Going into nationals, I kept an open mind and wanted to enjoy the extra two weeks of the season,” Kam added. “I focused on not letting the injury and pain bother me but to execute what I needed to, and that paid off with the first attempt clearances at 2.10m and 2.15m.”

Kam, a native of Singapore and holder of his country’s all-time high jump record, also said he was “honored” to become the first Singaporean to score individually at the NCAA track and field championships.

The 400m hurdles marked the sole event in which Penn qualified multiple athletes, but Matulonis and Sadikov were determined to make the most of their trip. Competing in the event’s semifinals, Sadikov took 21st with a time of 52.50 seconds, while Matulonis finished 15th with a time of 50.75 seconds. The meet marked the second trip to the outdoor championships for Matulonis, who also qualified in 2024 and was a semifinalist in the 400m hurdles during last year’s United States Olympic Trials.

Throop, a veteran for the Quakers, made his first career trip to outdoor track and field’s highest stage. After missing significant time due to an injury during his Penn career, the meet was a fitting end for one of the Red and Blue’s top distance runners. Throop finished 17th in the 10,000m event with a time of 29:24.03, earning an All-American honorable mention. After graduating from Penn in May, Throop will spend his final year of collegiate eligibility at Notre Dame next season.

Asaah was the lone member of the Penn women’s track and field team to qualify for the championships, also staking her claim against the best in the country. Competing in the discus throw, Asaah finished 23rd in the nation with a mark of 50.33 meters, earning her All-American honorable mention status.

Though she fell short of her personal-best mark of 57.04 meters set at South Florida, Asaah cherished the chance to compete at the national level.

“While it was a tough ending, I am so grateful for the whole Nattys experience,” Asaah said. “When I walked on freshman year, I thought Ivy Champs was the biggest stage I’d get, and I was just so happy to be on the team. Nationals and All-American honors is a dream.”

Several Quakers also expressed excitement in carrying their momentum into the seasons to come. Throop is the lone senior out of Penn’s national qualifiers, giving the rest of the group a chance to build on their success for the Red and Blue.

“I learned so much during this long season and am excited to take time off, recover, make adjustments, and come back stronger than ever senior year,” Asaah said.

“I want to strive to make a bigger mark next year,” Kam said. “As long as I’m healthy, I know I have it in me to win a national title.”

San Tan Charter School in Gilbert has added to its lineup of athletic leaders.

The Gilbert school’s athletic director, Kristofer Sippel Jr., said Kristal Harris has been hired as varsity girls volleyball coach, varsity sand volleyball coach and physical education instructor.

He called Harris a highly accomplished volleyball coach and educator with over two decades of experience in both indoor and beach volleyball.

“We are super excited to have Kristal on campus to lead our high school girls volleyball program,” he said. “We have an opportunity to send multiple girls to the next level in the coming years, and I feel with all of Kristal’s experience and connections, she can help elevate our program to heights we have not seen before.

“I think she fits right into our family environment mentality and we are looking forward to the upcoming year.”

Harris brings a deep level of technical knowledge of the game to her new role, along with a strong dedication to youth development and a championship background, the school said in a release.

A standout athlete at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Harris was a two-time state champion, named State Player of the Year, Region Co-Player of the Year and earned MVP honors.

At the collegiate level, Harris competed as a Division I athlete, playing for Northern Arizona University as well as Arizona State University, where she earned All-Tournament honors and academic awards.

She went on to a successful professional career on the beach volleyball circuit.

Harris began her coaching career in 1997 and has worked with athletes of all ages across club, high school, and collegiate settings.

She served as a physical education teacher and coach at Mesquite and Casteel High Schools, as well as assistant beach volleyball coach at ASU.

Most recently she served as the college placement recruiter and a head coach for Club One Beach.

She holds a master’s degree in education from Northern Arizona University, a bachelor of arts in sociology from ASU, and a physical education teaching certificate from Ottawa University.

Harris said she looks forward to joining San Tan Charter School because of its positive community, strong values, and student athlete philosophy.

“I was inspired by the small community, the culture of the school and it’s in Gilbert, where I live. It seemed like a great fit for me,” she said.

“I am looking forward to coaching and teaching at a school where everyone has fun and learns the value of teamwork, compromise, winning and losing.”

Brandon Tauscher, principal of the San Tan Charter School 7-12 Power Campus, said Harris is an ideal addition to his staff.

“Coach Harris’ experience as a player and coach from the prep ranks to the pros provides our student-athletes the kind of mentorship many high schools could only dream about,” he said. “We are certainly blessed to have her and welcome her into the San Tan family.”

San Tan Charter School is a K-12 tuition-free charter school with two campuses in Gilbert and one coming to Queen Creek. The Power campus in Gilbert serves grades 7-12 and its Recker campus includes a private Montessori preschool and a K-12 tuition free Montessori program in addition to K-6 gifted and mainstream classrooms serving grades PreK through 12.

The Signal Butte campus in Queen Creek includes a private Montessori preschool in addition to K-6 gifted, mainstream and Montessori classrooms serving grades PreK through 6th.

Eric Dane was spotted out for the first time since he revealed his ALS diagnosis and partial paralysis from the disease.

The 52-year-old actor – best known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy, The Last Ship and Euphoria – was spotted out on Monday.

The actor appeared to be in good spirits as he exited the vehicle, clad in a navy blue polo shirt, grey plaid shorts and red Adidas soccer shoes.

He was seen being driven around by an unknown female companion for the Monday afternoon outing.

Dane announced in April that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), after first experiencing symptoms back in 2024.

‘I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,’ he said of his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart and their daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.

He added, ‘“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.’

His condition quickly deteriorated, though, as he revealed in his first interview since the diagnosis, with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America.

‘I have one functioning arm. My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working,’ he revealed in the interview.

‘[My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won’t have my left hand either. Sobering. I’m worried about my legs,’ he told Sawyer on Monday.

The first symptom he noticed was weakness in his right hand over a year ago, though he, ‘thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued.’

He had it checked by a hand specialist, who referred him to a neurologist, which lead to the diagnosis.

His wife Gayheart withdrew her divorce petition back in March, a month before the diagnosis revealed, following a seven-year estrangement.

‘I talk to her every day. We have managed to become better friends and better parents,’ he said.

‘And she is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her,’ he added.

Dane also revealed a heartbreaking story in the interview, illustrating how debilitating the disease has made him.

The actor – once a competitive water polo player and avid swimmer – revealed he needed his 13-year-old daughter Georgia had to save his life.

They were on a boat trip when Dane jumped into the ocean, though he ultimately realized he, ‘couldn’t swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat. She dragged me back to the boat.’

‘I was, like, breaking down in tears. So I made sure [Georgia] got back in the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling [excursion] with the guide. But I was just heartbroken,’ he added.