The Rehoboth Beach Public Library will hold its Summer Reading Kick-Off Party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, June 16, in the pavilion at Grove Park near the Rehoboth Avenue traffic circle.

Entertainment and activities for kids of all ages will include inflatable bowling, giant beach volleyball, cornhole, sack races, parachute races and an interactive music class.

Attendees can stop by the summer reading table to register for an adventure-packed program that rewards kids for reading books and attending summer events. All registrants will receive a free book and two tickets for the Wrap-Up Raffle to be held Friday, Aug. 8, when lucky readers will win prizes donated by several generous Rehoboth businesses.

For every 10 books they read, kids ages 11 and under can earn five tickets and a free book; ages 12-18 can earn this prize for reading five books, with the understanding that book length and difficulty increase with reading level. Kids will also receive a ticket for every library summer program they attend.

Shannon Davis, Rehoboth Beach Public Library youth services librarian, said, “We would love to expand on the successful summer we had last year, with 123 summer reading program participants reading over 1,925 books. This year, let’s see if we can make it to 2,000 books.”

Adults can join the fun with adventure bingo cards, which award tickets for doing fun activities around Rehoboth.

Free reading logs will be available for pickup all summer long at the Rehoboth Beach Public Library, 226 Rehoboth Ave. 

The NCAA Outdoor Championships begin on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon, at Hayward Field, and you can catch all the action with FuboTV.

How to Watch NCAA Outdoor Championships – Men’s Day 1 – Wednesday

• Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
• Time: 7:00 PM EDT
• Channel: ESPN
• Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

Wednesday features exclusively men’s events. On the schedule are semifinals in the 4×100 Relay, 1500 Meters, 3000 Steeplechase, 110 Hurdles, 100 Meters, 400 Meters, 800 Meters, 400 Hurdles, 200 Meters, and 4×400 Relay as well as finals in the 10,000 Meters, Hammer, Pole Vault, Javelin, Long Jum,p and Shot Put.

Most of the men’s finals in the track events will take place on Friday.

Last year, winners of major men’s events included Houston’s Louie Hinchliffe in the 100 meters, Penn State’s Cheickna Traore in the 200 meters, Georgia’s Christopher Morales-Williams in the 400 meters, and Virginia’s Shane Cohen in the 800 meters.

Cohen was one of a handful of American men to win an event. The others were Washington’s Joe Waskom in the 1500 meters, North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe in the 5000 meters, Nebraska’s Darius Luff in the 110 meter hurdles, Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean in the 400 meter hurdles, Georgetown’s Parker Stokes in the 3000 meter hurdles, USC’s JC Stevenson in the long jump, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Salif Mane in the triple jump, Kentucky’s Keaton Daniel in pole vault, Ole Miss’ Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan in shot put and Georgia’s Marc Minichello in javelin.

Live stream the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Men’s Day 1 with Fubo: Start your free trial now!

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DAVIS, Calif. —A new era in Davis will begin on July 1 when Ari Homayun officially takes over as the new head coach for UC Davis beach volleyball. A rising star in collegiate coaching and decorated former student-athlete, Homayun brings with her a history of building successful teams, mentoring student-athletes, and excelling both on the sidelines and in the sand.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ari Homayun to UC Davis as our new head coach for beach volleyball” says Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “Ari’s energy, competitive drive, and student-athlete-centered approach stood out immediately. Her impressive track record of success as both a player and coach, paired with leadership focused on team culture make her a perfect fit for our department and the future of Aggie beach volleyball.”

Homayun arrives in Davis after a historic season as head coach at CSUN, where she led the program to unprecedented achievements during the 2024-25 season. Under her leadership, the Matadors earned their first-ever win over a ranked opponent, posted a new program record for most wins in a single season, and developed a standout freshman who broke the school record for individual wins. And to top it all off Homayun became the winningest coach in program history in just her first season.

“I’m incredibly honored to join the UC Davis community and lead the beach volleyball program” states Homayun. “I’m excited to build on the strong foundation here and help our student-athletes grow – not just on the sand, but as people, teammates, and leaders. I want to thank Rocko DeLuca, [Senior Associate Athletics Director, Sports Administration & Development] Josh Flushman, and the entire administration for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. Their support and vision for the program mean a lot, and I’m truly looking forward to being part of the Aggie family”

Before her time at CSUN, Homayun served as an assistant coach at Cal Poly, working alongside Olympic gold medalist Todd Rogers. There, she helped guide the Mustangs to a Big West Championship, a top 10 national ranking, and the program’s first NCAA Championship match win. She launched her coaching career at Hawai’i, her alma mater, where she had a memorable playing career.

A four-time NCAA Championship participant, Homayun remains Hawai’i’s all-time leader in both overall (118) and dual (115) match victories. She was a multi-time All-Big West honoree, received American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top Flight Awards, and earned academic all-conference recognition throughout her time as a student-athlete.

By TTU Sports Information and OVC Media Relations

OVC Community Service Awards History

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The recipients of the 2024-25 OVC Community Service Awards have been announced.

The awards, first bestowed in 2022-23, are based on activities that took place during the 2024-25 academic year and recognize outstanding student-athletes for the contributions they make away from the playing surface, both on campus and in the community.

Tech had two selections on the list, including Reghan Grimes (Women’s Basketball) and Haden Maxwell (Men’s Golf). Throughout her career, Grimes has taken part in a number of volunteer activities and spent time throughout the community, including FCA Meal for Spirit, the Capshaw Cougar Run, providing food at the local rescue mission, and Algood’s Read Across America, just to name a few. Maxwell assisted with local neighborhood trash pick-ups, Math Family Engagement Night at Capshaw Elementary, bell ringing at the Cookeville Rescue Mission, the Lego Challenge engineering competition, and many more opportunities to help out across the community. 

OVC member institutions that competed in the League during the 2024-25 academic year were able to select a maximum of one male and one female student-athlete from their institution to be honored. In total, 18 individuals were honored with the awards this year.

“The OVC has always been about a sense of community,” said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “We are delighted to continue to bestow these awards to these outstanding student-athletes who are giving back to their communities.”

The 2024-25 recipients are:

• Joel Allen (cross country/track & field), Little Rock
• Hayden Bell (rifle), Morehead State
• Sam Cruz (cross country/track & field), Eastern Illinois
• Nathan Deputy (swimming & diving), Southern Indiana
• Taylor Ellis (tennis), Tennessee State
• Mary Fetter (soccer), SIUE
• Liz Galvin (soccer), Eastern Illinois
• Reghan Grimes (basketball), Tennessee Tech
• Myah Hough (beach volleyball), Lindenwood
• Kolby Jones (track & field), Tennessee State
• David Kamwanga (basketball), UT Martin
• Haden Maxwell (golf), Tennessee Tech
• Jack Meyer (baseball), Lindenwood
• Katja Mueller (golf), Little Rock
• Vanessa Shafford (basketball), Southern Indiana
• Kayla Turner (soccer), Western Illinois
• Elena Verdecchia (beach volleyball), Morehead State
• Rileigh Weiss (equestrian), UT Martin

Yet, in doing so, Perry (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) made history.

“The Yale men’s water polo team has been around officially in the system since 1964, and through that whole time, I’ve been the first woman to ever play on that team. So it’s very much an honour for me.”

The Kiwi athlete, now 22, returned to Auckland last month after graduating, taking time to reflect on her experience as a student athlete at the prestigious Ivy League school in Connecticut.

Recruited for her exceptional academic and athletic abilities, Perry spent four years at Yale balancing the intense demands of elite sport and rigorous study.

Yet the path to an Ivy League education was anything but straightforward.

Born and raised in Bangkok until the age of 7, her Kiwi parents quickly learned of her natural sporting ability.

“It’s normal [in Bangkok] to be really good at one sport and do that really hardcore. I was quite good at swimming, and I was quite tall over there for a child.”

Perry’s family moved back to her mother’s hometown of Christchurch not long before the 2010 earthquakes. But the damaged sports facilities in the South Island city affected Perry’s desire to grow as an athlete.

She moved to Auckland, boarding at St Cuthbert’s College for her last two years of high school, where she focused on water polo and athletics, specialising in javelin, discus and shot put. She also excelled in science, finishing top of her class in chemistry.

It was at St Cuthbert’s where Perry explored the option of college in the United States before she was recruited to Yale to study a Bachelor of Economics.

She told the Herald she had never considered a scholarship to America until colleges began contacting her in Year 12. Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, University of Pennsylvania and Cornell all offered Perry places in their programmes, which made the possibility a reality.

She said the balance of school and sport was what attracted her to Yale.

“I can confidently say that going to Yale was by far the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

“I’ve been quite frustrated by the whole connotation around student athletes – that you can’t succeed in both academics and athletics. At Yale, all the students really defy that and everyone is brilliant both academically and athletically. That’s something that I really love about school.”

Perry became the first in three generations of her whānau to attend university – let alone at an Ivy League school – marking a significant milestone for her family.

“My Māori grandmother never had the opportunity to go to school at all, neither my dad or any of his eight siblings finished high school or went to university.

“It was crazy because you don’t hear about people going to these schools, and then, let alone two generations passed.

“That, I was very proud of.”

Two years into her time at Yale, Perry shifted her focus entirely to water polo after a shoulder injury ended her track and field career.

By the end of her sophomore year, she caught the attention of the men’s team coach. He saw potential in her abilities, knowing she could add value to the men’s side.

“The women’s team had a practice one weekend, and the men’s coach was there early for the men’s practice. Then he saw me training and he asked if I wanted to come join the men’s practice afterwards.

“I ended up just training with them at all of their practices and then we were able to get dispensation for me to play.”

Playing in the New England Division of the Collegiate Water Polo Association, she described it as a “crazy and unique experience”.

Perry told the Herald that playing in the men’s competition amplified the physical aspects of the already notoriously brutal sport.

She said the men’s game relied more on “brute strength” as there was “significantly more body contact and physical battling for position”.

Despite being the outlier, having to get ready for games in different changing rooms and having different physical abilities and strengths, her coach and teammates treated her with the same respect as anyone else, she said.

“My teammates were so kind, they’re like my family.”

Perry said that when it came to academia, she felt the cut-throat nature of an Ivy League school.

“It is very competitive, especially grades-wise.

“Everyone is their high-school valedictorian and it’s a bunch of A-plus personality people in one classroom.”

However, she said she never felt she had to choose between sport and study, given the school’s academic support system.

She would take early morning classes at Yale, leaving the afternoons and evenings free for training. During track and field season, she trained from 4pm-7pm on weekdays with weekend competitions then for water polo had evening pool sessions from 8pm-10pm four times a week, “plus intensive Saturday sessions where I’d train back-to-back with both the men’s and women’s teams”.

With her first-hand experience playing competitive sport alongside men, Perry was supportive of moves to exclude transgender women’s exclusion in top-flight female sports.

“While I deeply respect transgender individuals and support their inclusion in society, competitive sport presents unique challenges,” Perry said.

“The biological advantages from testosterone development are significant enough that even the most elite female athletes may struggle to compete on equal terms.”

She said it isn’t about discrimination, more so about preserving the competitive integrity that separate categories were designed to ensure.

Perry’s lessons from Dame Jacinda Ardern

Perry told the Herald that her graduation couldn’t have been more meaningful, as Dame Jacinda Ardern, the former New Zealand Prime Minister, addressed Perry’s graduating class.

As both Ardern and Perry excelled in male-dominated fields, Ardern’s presence at the ceremony, where she talked of the power of humility that comes with impostor syndrome, added a thoughtful parallel to Perry’s journey.

“She’s incredible, and what I remember the most about meeting her is how deeply personable she was,” Perry told the Herald. “I think that very much speaks volumes to her as a leader.”

She was one of the 12 lucky New Zealanders from the graduating class who met Ardern ahead of her speech with the entire year group.

She said Ardern asked the Kiwis if they were “disappointed she was chosen as the guest speaker”, but she and her peers responded adamantly: “Obviously not.”

“My friends were all so excited.

“Despite how much she’s achieved on such a global scale, she managed to make everyone in that room, all 12 of us, feel very seen and heard – and I think that’s really beautiful.

“It definitely speaks to how she’s not just a leader in the sense of making very big decisions, but also how she interacts with people in the smallest moments.

“I think that’s very much a quality of a very strong leader.”

Perry said she learned through Ardern the importance of how to act around others.

“It’s not just how you are on the big stage. She was the same on that stage as she was with us in that tiny room, and I think that’s a really important way to be.

“Being New Zealanders, we are very renowned for our humility and also our sense of community – and you can feel that from her, and it made me realise that in myself.”

Now back in Tāmaki-Makaurau Auckland, Perry is reconnecting with family while competing in the national water polo league for the Sea Wolves, all while planning her next steps.

Aware of the limited financial opportunities in the sport in Aotearoa, she has decided to prioritise her career, with plans to move to Sydney later this year for a role in management consulting.

As she steps into the next phase of her life, Perry is advocating for greater adaptability in male-dominated spaces and sports teams.

She said her experience playing for the Yale men’s water polo team was a success, given the inclusive environment where she was fully recognised and supported.

“It’s definitely less about females moulding into a certain way to fit into a pre-existing men’s water polo league and more just them creating space for people like me to come in.

“The league that I played in did that very well and I definitely think if you’re a woman and you’re looking at going into a men’s league, don’t be intimidated by it.

“I got a lot better as a player, I got a lot stronger – and there are a lot of benefits that came out of that.”

Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She was named New Zealand’s Best Up and Coming journalist in 2025. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.