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Track & Field | One for All

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —  Perhaps the thing Falon Spearman loved most about track when she gave up gymnastics to focus on running was controlling her own destiny. It didn’t matter what she looked like getting over the hurdles. There were no judges. If she got to the finish line first, she won. It was uncomplicated and […]

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. —  Perhaps the thing Falon Spearman loved most about track when she gave up gymnastics to focus on running was controlling her own destiny. It didn’t matter what she looked like getting over the hurdles. There were no judges. If she got to the finish line first, she won. It was uncomplicated and fulfilling. Track rewarded what she put into it.

Most of the time.

There was nothing particularly simple or satisfying about why Spearman didn’t qualify for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Running in the East Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, she recorded successive personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles. In the quarterfinals, the final regional race from which 12 runners would advance to the NCAA Championships, she ran the 12th-fastest time—one-thousandth of a second slower than the 11th-fastest runner.  That runner advanced. Through a quirk of the format, Spearman went home.

The quarterfinals split runners into three heats. The top three finishers in each heat advance to the NCAA Championships, as do the runners with the next three fastest times across all heats. Running in a different heat, another competitor ran a slower time than Spearman but finished third in the heat—advancing automatically and bumping Spearman.

“What was so devastating for me was the thought that I have to do all of this over again next year,” Spearman said of that moment in Lexington. “All of that training and hard work and literally blood, sweat and tears to get to that moment. I bawled because I knew I had to do it all over again–and maybe to get the same outcome the next year. That terrified me.”

She did it all over again as a junior, but the outcome wasn’t the same. Along with teammate Allyria McBride, who qualified in the 400-meter hurdles, Spearman will represent Vanderbilt in this week’s NCAA Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. In addition to advancing to compete on the biggest stage in collegiate track and field, Spearman broke Vanderbilt’s school record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.03 seconds in the opening round of regionals in Jacksonville, Florida.

  • Watch Falon Spearman and Allyria McBride compete in the NCAA Championships on Thursday, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN.

There was more hard work, more blood, sweat and tears (you try smacking into a hurdle while moving at a speed most folks need a bicycle to reach). There was also someone there to remind her what was possible, someone who knows better than anyone how hard she’s worked—not just for tenths of seconds in a race but to grow into someone strong enough to push aside a fear of failure and start over. Twins and teammates, Falon and Santana Spearman are different people. They took different routes to Vanderbilt, Falon arriving as a transfer from Duke after her freshman year. But they know how hard it is to be yourself.

It’s why Santana knew Falon could put last year behind her. It’s why she approached her sister before their first race in this year’s East Regional with a simple message.

You’re going to nationals.

Finding Her Font

Falon was about 10 or 11 when she switched her focus from gymnastics to track and field, getting there ahead of Santana. A friend of the family encouraged her to try hurdles. It was a natural fit, the hip flexibility born of her gymnastics training lending itself to the new task. And more than a physical match, hurdling appealed to her in a way that no other event did.

“I feel like had I not started off with hurdles, I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed track,” Spearman said. “I love—love—hurdling. Running is fun too, but at the end of the day I’m a hurdler and I genuinely love to hurdle. I think just being able to try my body in different positions and run through the air was very interesting to me from a young age.”

Where outsiders might look across lanes of hurdlers and see a blur of identical images, Spearman sees a canvas for creativity. With its prescribed skills and scripted movements, gymnastics felt stifling. On the track, as she poetically puts it, everyone is free to have their own font. On the diminutive side, she doesn’t look or run like many of her peers. She throws her whole body into propelling herself over the hurdles. It isn’t anyone’s idea of textbook form, coaches once comparing her to a spinning top, but it doesn’t matter if it’s effective.

“It doesn’t look very organized when I’m running,” Spearman allowed with a laugh. “I do a lot with my body, which is not a great thing. But when it goes well, it goes well.”

Although 100 meters was her ticket to Eugene this year and has long been her primary event, she has a not-so-secret soft spot for the 400-meter hurdles. She narrowly missed qualifying alongside McBride in that event, as well, while setting personal bests in both the first round and quarterfinals of the East Regional. The longer distance affords more technical grace, as she puts it. There’s time to think and adjust. It’s more of a chess match—albeit one in which seemingly every muscle in your body, not to mention your lungs, encourages you to find something better to do with your time by the final stretch. The 100, by comparison, is a leap of faith, testing just how much you believe in yourself.

“You have to be so aggressive and go so fast, you cannot afford to think once the race starts,” Spearman said. “Your body just has to go into default mode. I’m not exaggerating when I say you don’t have time to think about anything during that race. The hurdles come at you so quick. You have to trust that everything you’ve been doing in practice will copy and paste to the race.

“And that’s a very scary thing when it comes to, for example, regionals where that meet and that one point in time dictates whether or not you’re going to nationals.”

Twins Reunited

Maybe that’s why Santana’s message to her the morning of their first race in this year’s regionals hit home as more than idle encouragement. No one could better read her.

The sisters set out to go to different colleges, even mentally scratching potential destinations off their list if the other showed interest. It wasn’t out of animosity toward each other. It wasn’t a desire to get away from each other, a negative motivation. Instead, it was a positive step toward each making her own way in the world. Even so, all the intentionality in the world doesn’t make it any less strange to be on your own.

“For the first time, life was happening—school, track, everything—and she wasn’t there to do it with me,” Falon said. “That was just such an interesting feeling, knowing that I have to catch her up on everything. I would actually have conversations with her as if she had been there. And she’d be like, ‘Wait, what are you talking about?’”

After a frustrating freshman season that ended earlier than she would have hoped, Falon went to watch Santana compete in the 2023 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Seeing her sister happy and in her element competing against the best in the country, Falon wondered whether she had made a mistake not considering Vanderbilt. When she entered the transfer portal, Althea Thomas, director of cross country and track and field, was an easy sell. Falon was initially more concerned about pitching Santana on the idea.

She needn’t have worried. With her sister’s blessing, Falon made the move to Nashville.

In high school, the sisters disliked competing against each other. Hurdles weren’t Santana’s sole focus, so it never felt like a level playing field. That held true for a time after Falon transferred to Vanderbilt—only by then it was because Falon felt her lost freshman season put her far behind her thriving sister. Keeping as many lanes and teammates as possible between each other in practices, they tried to avoid comparison and competition.

That has gradually changed, so much so that they now seek out the competition. Part of it was Falon regaining her form. Any tenths of a second between them vanished. Perhaps part was also growing into their shared space at Vanderbilt. They still don’t live together—that would be a little bit too much shared space, Falon notes with mock alarm—but they are close to inseparable nonetheless. Secure in what makes them different, they make each other better on and off track—complete with a little good-natured ribbing.

“I feel like when we do well in the training and we both get fast, we can have the trash talk,” Falon said. “You can just feel the energy when you’re racing against her in practice. The goal is obviously to get to the line first, but you also want to get down off each hurdle fast, so we can just feel each other trying to get off the hurdles as fast as we can. There’s a lot of banter now—and that just means we’re both doing the right thing.”

On to Eugene

Santana has always been the calm sister, Falon the bundle of energy, not altogether unlike that spinning top to which her coaches compared her. Santana spreads her interest far and wide at Vanderbilt. Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day earlier this year, she worked with peers at Emory to organize the Vanderbilt Athletics’ Day of Service at the King Center in Atlanta. Last year, she studied abroad in South Africa. She’s the one Falon goes to for perspective. She’s the one who counseled Falon in the aftermath of last season’s heartbreaking near-miss at regionals, reminding her that if she did all she could—as evidenced by setting personal bests throughout the meet—then it wasn’t meant to be.

And even this year, when Santana finished just five places and one-tenth of a second shy of advancing to nationals after running a personal best in the quarterfinals, she had the perspective to celebrate her sister’s joy.

“She knew this was my dream since high school,” Falon said. “She knew how much led up to that moment. It was great having someone to share it with, especially someone who knows what you’ve been through. Transitioning from Duke to Vanderbilt was very hard. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life—I’m young, so it was definitely the most difficult thing that I’ve done so far. And having someone who’s seen you through it all— and sharing that moment with them—really meant a lot to me.”

As the sisters like to say, when something good happens to one of them it happens to both of them.





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Phoebe McCowan to Receive 2024-25 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award – UK Athletics

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Wildcat distance runner Phoebe McCowan has been named as a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Awardee for the 2024-25 spring semester, receiving a $10,000 scholarship following her final year of athletic eligibility. The NCAA awards 42 such scholarships to student-athletes, representing spring sports across all three NCAA divisions, have demonstrated remarkable academic achievements, athletic […]

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Wildcat distance runner Phoebe McCowan has been named as a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Awardee for the 2024-25 spring semester, receiving a $10,000 scholarship following her final year of athletic eligibility.

The NCAA awards 42 such scholarships to student-athletes, representing spring sports across all three NCAA divisions, have demonstrated remarkable academic achievements, athletic excellence and leadership within their communities.

Each year, the NCAA awards 126 postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes who have completed their final year of athletics competition. The scholarships are distributed three times annually — in the fall, winter and spring — providing 21 scholarships each to men and women per season. The award is a one-time, nonrenewable scholarship aimed at funding graduate study at an accredited institution.

Established in 1964, the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship program promotes and encourages graduate education by recognizing the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes. The program evaluates candidates on their athletic and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service and leadership. An equitable selection process ensures that all nominees, regardless of sport, division, gender or race, are considered fairly.

After four years of studying at the University of Kentucky, McCowan achieved a career 4.0 GPA and was named to the Dean’s List following each semester. She has also been accepted into the UK College of Medicine and is a five-time honor member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

During her senior season with the Wildcats in 2025, McCowan competed in five meets across the indoor and outdoor seasons, posting a personal-best in the 600m at the Fairgrounds Invitational with a 1:36.73 time. Last month, McCowan was named to the SEC Community Service Team for the second time in her career, the first coming in 2023.

Follow Kentucky Track and Field and Cross Country on Facebook, Instagram, X, and UKathletics.com.





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Lawrence County volleyball begins offseason | Sports

Lawrence County volleyball kicked off their offseason earlier this week by hosting a youth camp with local volleyball rec-league clubs. “ This is probably my 11th year of having these,” head coach Robyn Hutto said. “So this is where it all starts because most of the kids that are in my program, this is where it […]

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Lawrence County volleyball kicked off their offseason earlier this week by hosting a youth camp with local volleyball rec-league clubs.

“ This is probably my 11th year of having these,” head coach Robyn Hutto said. “So this is where it all starts because most of the kids that are in my program, this is where it started for them. So we try to make it enjoyable.”



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Alvarez Returns To UH As Beach Volleyball Head Coach

Story Links HONOLULU — Danny Alvarez has been selected as the head coach of the University of Hawai’i beach volleyball program, athletics director Matt Elliott announced. Alvarez is the fifth head coach in the program’s history and returns to Manoa after previously serving as a UH assistant coach for nearly […]

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HONOLULU — Danny Alvarez has been selected as the head coach of the University of Hawai’i beach volleyball program, athletics director Matt Elliott announced.

Alvarez is the fifth head coach in the program’s history and returns to Manoa after previously serving as a UH assistant coach for nearly a decade.

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Danny back to the UH ‘ohana,” Elliott said. “He helped build UH beach volleyball from the very start and played a pivotal role in creating a program that competed at the highest level. His love for the sport, his alma mater, and for our student-athletes is unquestioned and I know he’ll give his absolute best effort as our new head coach.”

“I’m truly honored to be back at the University of Hawai’i,” Alvarez said.  “This is a special opportunity and we’re fully committed to making the student-athlete experience the best in the country. Our aspiration is to build a national championship-caliber program. There’s exciting work ahead and we’re ready for the challenge.” 

Alvarez, who boasts three decades of coaching experience, previously served as an assistant for the BeachBows from 2012-19, as well as during the 2023 campaign.

In his first stint at UH, Alvarez was instrumental in building the foundation for the fledgling Rainbow Wahine program and quickly developing the ‘Bows into a national contender. The Honolulu native served as the sole assistant coach in the inaugural 2012 season. He helped numerous indoor players make the transition to sand, while further developing the experienced sand players. 

What soon followed was six straight national tournament appearances, three Big West titles, and the program’s first No. 1 ranking during the 2015 season. Following that season he was named Coach of the Year at UH’s annual “H” Awards event.

 

The success continued in his second stint as an assistant in 2023 when the team returned to the NCAAs for the sixth time and finished in the top 10 of the final AVCA poll. Widely-regarded for his focus on player development, he helped the pair of Kaylee Glagau and Brooke Van Sickle earn AVCA All-America and Big West Player of the Year honors that season. In all, he has coached 11 AVCA All-Americans and 24 all-conference players during his time at UH. 

Beyond his experience at UH, Alvarez has earned a stellar reputation as a life-long and deeply- embedded member of  the island volleyball community. He has mentored countless student-athletes on the high school and club level in both the indoor and beach game. He has also provided elite training for more than a half dozen professional players, including former UH standout and AVP champion Carly Kan. 

On the men’s side, he has coached AVP champion and Honolulu native Trevor Crabb since 2019 and guided Crabb and partner Theo Brunner’s during their run to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.  

  

#HawaiiBVB



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Young Sharks defeated at the start of the European Championship

The young water polo team of Montenegro, players under 16, lost to Italy at the start of the European Championship being held in Istanbul – 17:11 (3:4, 5:3, 3:1, 6:3). The “Sharks” entered the match well, leading 5:3 and 6:4, but the Italians turned the lead to 4:1 with a 8:7 run by the end […]

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The young water polo team of Montenegro, players under 16, lost to Italy at the start of the European Championship being held in Istanbul – 17:11 (3:4, 5:3, 3:1, 6:3).

The “Sharks” entered the match well, leading 5:3 and 6:4, but the Italians turned the lead to 4:1 with a 8:7 run by the end of the second quarter.

The match was decided in the third period, when the rival got back into a good rhythm and with three consecutive goals gained a three-goal lead – 11:8 before the final period.

Our guys managed to reduce the score to 11:10, but that was all. New Italian series, now 4:0, for an unattainable 15:10.

The most efficient player in the Montenegrin team was Danilo Roganović with three goals, Dimitrije Milić, Andrej Durutović and Danilo Savović scored two each, and Luka Dragović and Luka Popović scored one each.

In the second round of Group B, Montenegro plays against Greece tomorrow from 16:15 PM to XNUMX:XNUMX PM.


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Athletics: Thompson, McGinn nominated for 2024-25 GNAC Athlete of the Year honors

Story Links GNAC Athlete of the Year Finalists For Women’s Sports GNAC Athlete of the Year Finalists for Men’s Sports WINTHROP, Mass. – Men’s swimming & diving standout Will Thompson (Downingtown, Pa.) and two-sport star Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) of […]

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WINTHROP, Mass. – Men’s swimming & diving standout Will Thompson (Downingtown, Pa.) and two-sport star Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) of the women’s basketball and softball teams have been selected as Norwich University’s nominees for the 2024-25 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Athlete of the Year awards, recognizing the top graduating student-athletes in men’s and women’s sports.

The GNAC Athlete of the Year awards honor graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through academic achievement, athletic excellence, leadership, and service throughout their collegiate careers.  Winners of this year’s awards will be announced by the conference on Wednesday, July 16.

One of the most decorated swimmers in program history, Thompson leaves Norwich with a staggering 22 GNAC championships to his name, including nine individual and 13 as part of relay teams, alongside 27 All-Conference nods across his four-year career.  He was named the GNAC Male Swimmer of the Year in 2023-24 after a standout junior campaign in which he helped propel Norwich to its second straight conference title.  Thompson remained a driving force behind the program’s continued dominance, playing a key role in the Cadets’ three consecutive GNAC Championships from 2023 to 2025.

Thompson holds program records in the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 200-yard breaststroke events, and is a member of four record-setting relay teams: the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays.  He also set GNAC Championship meet records in the 50-yard breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay, and 200 medley relay during his time in maroon and gold.

His trajectory through the GNAC ranks reflects a steady climb toward elite status, marked by consistent dominance each season.  After capturing one GNAC relay championship as a rookie in 2021-22, Thompson exploded into the spotlight with six titles in 2022-23 and eight more in 2023-24.  He ended his senior year with seven GNAC crowns and eight All-Conference honors.  A five-time GNAC Swimmer of the Week, Thompson was named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 and was honored with the program’s Athlete of the Year Award in 2023-24, recognizing his leadership, sportsmanship, and athletic achievement.

In addition to his prowess in the pool, Thompson also stood out in the classroom and on the Hill.  A two-time GNAC All-Academic selection with a 3.36 GPA, he served with distinction in the Norwich University Corps of Cadets as part of the Regimental Guard Mount Section, rising to the role of Officer in Charge during his senior year.  Thompson’s leadership extended well beyond his own team, serving as a model of discipline, dedication, and excellence for Norwich’s athletic and military communities alike.

A rare two-sport standout with honors in both the classroom and the conference, McGinn leaves Norwich as one of the most accomplished female student-athletes in recent memory.  A three-time CSC Academic All-District selection in women’s basketball and two-time recipient in softball, McGinn compiled a 3.95 GPA while earning Summa Cum Laude honors and President’s List recognition across all four years.

On the field and court, McGinn’s consistency, skill, and leadership made a profound impact.  She etched her name in Norwich women’s basketball history as a 1,000-point scorer, finishing her career with 1,047 points, 557 rebounds, and 174 assists.  She was a 2024-25 All-GNAC Third Team selection and served as a veteran leader on the hardwood, consistently anchoring both ends of the floor.  On the diamond, McGinn blossomed into one of the top players in the conference, earning All-GNAC First Team honors in 2025, becoming the program’s first First Team selection since 2017, after batting .389 with 28 RBI and a .456 on-base percentage as a senior.

She was also a consistent contributor to the culture of Norwich and her community, serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteering as an assistant youth travel softball coach.  Between 2021 and 2024, McGinn dedicated over 400 hours across multiple summers to mentoring and training young female athletes, helping foster a love for the sport that shaped her own journey.

Whether representing Norwich in the batter’s box or on the hardwood, or modeling academic and athletic excellence off the field, McGinn exemplifies the balance of character, service, and competitiveness at the heart of the GNAC Athlete of the Year Award for women’s sports.

Thompson and McGinn are two of several standout nominees for this year’s GNAC Athlete of the Year honors.  In addition to Thompson, the full list of finalists includes seven more standouts on the men’s side: EJ Gonzalez of Albertus Magnus College men’s soccer; George Chaya Jr. of Elms College baseball; Tim Callahan of Lasell University baseball; Eddie Kaftan of Mitchell College baseball; Christopher Margiatto of Regis College men’s cross country and men’s track and field; Dylan Dickey of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine men’s track and field and men’s soccer; and Braeden Laframboise of University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) men’s cross country.  The women’s list, meanwhile, comprises of 12 additional distinguished nominees, alongside McGinn: Skylar Arent of Albertus Magnus College softball; Sharaya Keele of Albertus Magnus College women’s basketball; Carly Drew of Anna Maria College field hockey and women’s lacrosse; Samantha Bishop of Colby-Sawyer College women’s soccer; Haley Gaunt of Dean College women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse; Katie Cosmos of Elms College softball; Emily DeRoehn of JWU (Providence) women’s soccer; McKenna McCool of Lasell University women’s volleyball; Gemma Landry of Mitchell College women’s soccer and softball; Bianca Burke of Regis College softball; Shauna Clark of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse; Sydney Gonyea of Simmons University field hockey; and Maya Slisz of University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) women’s basketball.

Should either be selected, they would join an exclusive group of Cadets who have earned the GNAC’s highest individual honor for graduating student-athletes.  Benjamin Stark ’24 became the first Norwich male recipient in 2024 after a legendary swimming & diving career, while Emily Oliver ’19 earned GNAC Woman of the Year honors in 2019 after completing a historic career as a three-sport standout in women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, and softball.

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4,000 student-athletes across the New England region.  Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity, and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.



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Local 16U boys volleyball team places 2nd at AAU Junior National Champ…

ORLANDO, Fla. — Making history on volleyball’s biggest stage, the Pursuit Boys 16U National team battled through a gauntlet of elite competition to claim a silver medal at the AAU Junior National Championships on Thursday, July 3, at the Orange County Convention Center. Led by head coach Zach Brock and club director Julie Kinnaman, the […]

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Making history on volleyball’s biggest stage, the Pursuit Boys 16U National team battled through a gauntlet of elite competition to claim a silver medal at the AAU Junior National Championships on Thursday, July 3, at the Orange County Convention Center.

Led by head coach Zach Brock and club director Julie Kinnaman, the travel team based in Cape Girardeau finished in second place among 73 teams in the 16U elite division at what is widely considered the largest volleyball event in the world.

It was the best finish by a Southeast Missouri boys volleyball team in history.

“With only eight boys, it was a pretty big accomplishment,” Brock said. “The boys really worked hard. All the teams we beat up to the championship match won their flight matches, so every game we competed in, we had to really work hard to get to that point. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Pursuit competed in 13 matches over a busy four-day stretch, taking down top-notch teams from Florida, Illinois, California and Puerto Rico, among others, before edging No. 1 seed Austin Juniors Volleyball (Texas) in a three-set thriller in the semifinals.

Warren Jones serves the ball for the Pursuit 16u National team during the AAU Junior National Championship semifinals on Thursday, July 3, at the Orange County Convention Center.

Warren Jones serves the ball for the Pursuit 16u National team during the AAU Junior National Championship semifinals on Thursday, July 3, at the Orange County Convention Center.Submitted Photo

In the championship finals, Pursuit lost to California powerhouse Orange County Volleyball Club 2-0 (25-14, 25-21) to bow out of the tournament as national runners-up. Not bad for a team that entered the tournament ranked 16th in the country in the 16U division by SportsEngine AES Power Rankings.

“They were just bigger than us numbers-wise,” Brock said of the finals loss. “The boys were right there in that match, but I think the fatigue really began to set in. It was the fourth day in that gym for over six hours, and we just succumbed to a better team at that point. They never gave up, never laid down. The better team just won.”



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