It’s been a big week for Newport Harbor High junior Connor Ohl.

The sharp-shooting boys’ water polo player committed to Stanford earlier this week. He then turned 18 on Thursday, the same day the Sailors hosted the third annual “Battle in the Bay” showcase against rival Corona del Mar in the water next to Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula.

Ohl gave himself a birthday gift.

Corona del Mar’s Cooper Kelly (3) finds a gap in the defense as he scores a goal on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

He was named the KAP7 Player of the Game for the boys’ match, earning a stand-up paddleboard for his efforts.

Newport Harbor swept the two games, winning the girls’ game 17-5 before earning a 15-8 win in the boys’ game.

“We really came together and our crash defense was just amazing,” said Ohl, who led the Sailors with four goals in the boys’ game. “When you play good defense, the offense will come, and that’s what happened today. Our defense complemented our offense.”

Newport Harbor’s Kai Kaneko (8) fires in a penalty shot against CdM on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The Battle in the Bay has become an annual event that the Newport Beach water polo community circles on its calendar. Newport Harbor looked the part of a team that was a CIF Southern Section Open Division champion in the boys’ season last fall, and an Open Division finalist in the girls’ season in the winter.

“It’s such a unique spot,” Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said. “It’s unique to play in the Battle of the Bay, and I think this is another added element of celebrating the community and being able to play in the bay. It’s a novelty.”

Members of the Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar girls water polo teams shake hands after the game on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Kai Kaneko added three goals for the Sailors boys, while Dash D’Ambrosia, Hudson Parks and Mason Netzer scored twice each. Koosha Mirrafati led CdM with three goals.

“It’s a cool thing for our community to come together and do something that no other programs in the country get to do,” CdM coach Lucas Reynolds said, adding that he was a bit jealous the event wasn’t around when he was a CdM student. “Being able to play in the bay, play so close to home in a really cool environment, I think it’s an awesome opportunity for our kids.”

Newport Harbor senior goalkeeper Lydia Soderberg was the Player of the Game for the girls’ match. Some of her Sailors teammates blew up her inflatable paddleboard and watched the boys’ game while perched on it.

Newport Harbor’s Audrey Metcalf (5) fires a shot to the goal against Corona del Mar on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Caitlin Stayt and Gabby Alexson led the Sailors with three goals each, while Josie Alaluf had two goals for CdM.

Newport Harbor also benefited from strong play from freshmen, including Lily Tomalas, Vivian Muir, Olivia Bryant and goalkeeper Sutton Lohman. They stepped up, as four Sailors — Madison Mack, Kennedy Fahey, Addison Ting and Caroline Daniels — are currently playing for the U.S. Cadet National Team at the PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Colombia.

“This is just a really unique experience,” Stayt said. “We love coming out here and being with the community, being with each other.”

CdM’s Camyrn Spruill (12) shoots in a goal against Newport Harbor between the boat docks in Marina Park on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

New Orleans, La. –  All Region honors for the 2025 NCAA Division III 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 and 15 Mules made the cut. 

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. Data is compiled based on Regional TFRI. Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.

Colby Men: 

Levi Biery – 400m Hurdles, 4×400 relay

Brady Clegg – Steeplechase

Jackson Coelho – 4×400 Relay

Ian Irwin – 100m, 200m

Lexington Lehnert – Pole Vault

Peter Martel – Pole Vault, 4×400 Relay

Ernest Obiorah – Discus

Myles Thornton-Sherman – Decathlon

Ren Zanze – 400m, 4×400 Relay

Colby Women: 

Charlotte Brake-Hoffman – 4×100 Relay

Olivia Doherty – 4×400 Relay

Kaitlyn Ewald – 4×400 Relay

Fiona Mejico – 200m, 400m, 400m Hurdles, 4×100 Relay, 4×400 Relay

Simone Waheed – 100m, 200m, 4×100 Relay

Tally Zeller – 4×100 Relay, 4×400 Relay

CLICK HERE for the full release on the USTFCCCA website 5/21

Audrey MacLean and Emily Rubio of the Middlebury women’s track and field team competed in the second day of the NCAA Championship in Geneva, Ohio. MacLean ran in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final and claimed second to tally All-American laurels for the second-consecutive season.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Rubio claimed 20th in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.60 meters.
• In the steeple, MacLean paced the pack throughout the entire race. The Panther held off a late charge by Hamilton’s Keira Rogan to earn runner-up honors with a time of 10:23.59. 

NOTES

• MacLean’s silver placing bests her sixth-place finish (10:36.28) from the 2024 championships in South Carolina.
• With her finish, the sophomore has now earned four All-American honors across cross country and track and field.

MacLean hits the track once more for the Panthers on Saturday, competing in the 5,000. The timed final begins at 4:25 p.m.

Growing up, my mother always looked fondly back at her time at SFA in Nacogdoches. One of the things that she enjoyed doing was bowling. 

It might have been just a class, but she still talks about it. I was interested to hear that SFA will no longer compete in the sport at an NCAA level.

According to KTRE, they are also dropping men’s and women’s golf and beach volleyball. The move will be official after this year, and students competing in those sports with academic scholarships will have many options.

SFA Bolstering The Other 14 NCAA Varsity Programs With Savings

Though it is sad to see those sports go, there are so many still at the school. When I heard there were still 14 different NCAA varsity programs at SFA, I was amazed.

SFA will still honor all the existing scholarships to any student-athletes who wish to finish their degree at the university. If they want to transfer to another school to continue playing a specific sport, they will have the full backing of the SFA sports program to help them with a transfer.

Michael McBroom, Athletics Director, is hoping this move will bolster the success of the other men’s and women’s sports.

“Decisions like these are never easy, but they are made in the best interest of the athletic program and the university as a whole,” said McBroom. “Over the past year, we have made significant progress in reducing annual athletics expenditures, especially in our travel costs. Unfortunately, those efforts have not been enough. In order for SFA Athletics to deliver the best possible championship experience for all of our student-athletes in the face of very real economic and facility challenges, we made the difficult decision to reduce the number of sports we sponsor.”

He went on to say they will continue to say this will put SFA in a better position moving forward, and that they are committed to improving their facilities and funding into the next era of SFA Athletics.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers track and field qualified 16 Scarlet Knights for the 2025 NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida from Wednesday, May 28 through Saturday, May 31.
 
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a solid showing at the 2025 Big Ten Championships that included eight podium finishes with three bronze medals. The trio of Brian O’Sullivan (pole vault), Donavan Anderson (triple jump) and Chloe Timberg (pole vault) finished third in their respective events and will represent Rutgers at the NCAA First Round.
 
Live results of the East First Round are available here, while the competition will stream live on ESPN+ (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4). Qualifiers out of these East First Round will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships held June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Wednesday, May 28
2:30 p.m.                 Javelin                             Steve Coponi
5:30 p.m.                 Pole Vault                        Nico Morales, Brian O’Sullivan, Kevin O’Sullivan
6 p.m.                       110M Hurdles                Chris Serrao
8:20 p.m.                 400M Hurdles                Bryce Tucker
 
Thursday, May 29
2:30 p.m.                 Javelin                             Alianna Eucker
4:30 p.m.                 Long Jump                      Paige Floriea
5:30 p.m.                 Pole Vault                        Emma Keating, Suzy Lacombe, Chloe Timberg
7:25 p.m.                 400M                               Charlee Crawford
 
Friday, May 30
2:30 p.m.                 Triple Jump                     Donavan Anderson
3:30 p.m.                 High Jump                      Malachi Yehudah
 
Saturday, May, 31
2:30 p.m.                 Triple Jump                     Faith Bethea
3:30 p.m.                 High Jump                      Jenovia Logan
 

Veronica Rauch had a choice; attend her high school graduation at St. Ignatius College Prep, or play in the IHSA State Quarterfinals for girls’ water polo. Both were happening just an hour apart.

As team captain, Rauch chose the latter. Rauch said there wasn’t even a decision to be made when it came to attending graduation or playing water polo.

“I’m the goalie, and I’m on the team, and it’s my responsibility and my desire to be at that game,” she said. “It’s a huge accomplishment for the team, and because of the accomplishment, I want to be there. Because of the name of the game, I want to be there.”

St. Ignatius water polo head coach Nicole Lum said the game was a nailbiter.

“I’ve been coaching a long time, and I’ve never experienced anything quite like it,” she said.

“We had a player who got out there who had not played water polo before this season. She’s a junior, and she got in there, and she gave us a goal; and it was an incredible, incredible moment,” Rauch said.

That was followed by an incredible moment. Dr. Sterling Brown, the prefect of studies – or principal – at St. Ignatius, brought the graduation to Rauch.

“I knew it was far, but I didn’t realize what the timing would be,” he said.

The graduation was at 6 p.m. The game was at 7 p.m. Brown made the drive from the graduation in Chicago to Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, where the state quarterfinals were taking place.

“My experience for her has been four years of giving to this place, and I’m glad that in a very small way, we could give something back,” he said.

As for the game, the team didn’t win.

“They gave a Herculean effort, every last one of them. It was fantastic,” Lum said.

But Rauch said, in the end, one thing mattered most.

“The way we played was a win in itself,” she said.

Now that she has graduated, Rauch is heading to University of Alabama, where she’s going to study vocal performance. She wants to be an opera singer one day.

If her beautiful singing voice wasn’t enough, Rauch also speaks several languages, among them Mandarin.