Grand Canyon head coach Winston Gandy and the women’s basketball program added a veteran piece to Gandy’s first Lopes roster in 5-foot-9 shooting guard Karley Johnson.

Johnson, who hails from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, spent the past three seasons at Arkansas and enters GCU as a senior for the 2025-26 season.

Johnson’s playing time increased throughout her career in the Southeastern Conference, playing in 30 games last season with nine starts in 15.4 minutes per game. She averaged 2.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals during her junior season while playing significant minutes against the nation’s best teams, including Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and UCLA.

Prior to Arkansas, Johnson was a 2022 McDonald’s All-American nominee and earned Oklahoman’s Super 5 Honorable Mention choice four times from 2019-22. She was named to the All-City (Little City) First Team in 2021 and Second Team in 2019 and 2020, along with VYPE Top 100 selection in 2020 and 2021. She transferred to Mustang High School prior to her junior year, helping lead the Broncos to a No. 12 state ranking.

Johnson’s name joins six other incoming Lopes who have been signed this offseason, including:

• Favor Ayodele, 6-1 forward (Tennessee)
• Faith Carson, 6-4 forward (Ohio State)
• Sophia Fontaine, 6-2 forward (Stetson)
• Holly Griffiths, 6-4 forward (Fresno State)
• Julianna LaMendola, 6-1 forward (Indiana)
• Chloe Mann, 5-8 guard (Cincinnati)

Softball and women’s basketball. Even with golf, water polo and a number of terrific women’s sports programs on campus, those two often come to mind when people think of women’s sports at Stanford.

For decades, women’s basketball has been in the upper echelon of the NCAA, with legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer guiding the program to 13 Final Fours and three national titles during her 38 years in charge.

Softball saw extreme success from the late 1990s until the early 2010s and after half a decade of struggle, have since returned to national prominence under current head coach, Jessica Allister. But are both of these programs well equipped for future success?

When it comes to the Cardinal women’s basketball program, you can never count them out. Even though they experienced their worst season since the 1980s by going 16-15 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1987, it all came during a major time of change–with the program being in a new conference and having a new head coach in Kate Paye.

But, the Cardinal have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation coming in for 2025-26, bringing in three five-star prospects in Hailee Swan, Lara Somfai and Alex Eschmeyer and two four-stars in Nora Ezike and Carly Amborn.

Most of Stanford’s teams have had superstar players, from the Ogwumike sisters to Cameron Brink. However, this season saw the program really struggle to figure out who that headlining player was, but having Somfai, Swann and Eschmeyer enter the mix for next season could see the Cardinal reestablish that star-studded identity that made them so good for all those years and return to the NCAA tournament after a one season absence.

When it comes to softball, more dominance could be on the horizon. A large number of the key contributors from this season, such as Joie Economides, River Mahler, Emily Jones, Kyra Chan and Zoe Prystajko, among a slew of others are slated to return for next season and beyond.

Assuming a limited number of those players enter the portal, the Cardinal have the opportunity to put together a lineup with a lot of continuity.

Despite a strong 42-13 record and being ranked in the Top 25 for almost the entire season, this season can actually be considered a down year for the Cardinal in many regards, losing in the NCAA regional and falling just short of a third straight Women’s College World Series appearance–a good sign that the best is still yet to come.

This was the first season that the Cardinal were in the ACC and they still did very well. Now they will enter 2026 with a season under their belt in the conference and a largely familiar roster, the ceiling of success for Stanford could be very high.

Both programs have invested a lot in their futures and have high expectations for themselves on a yearly basis. From what they have shown historically, it would not be surprising at all if both softball and women’s basketball return to be being among the best in the country as soon as next season.

Next. Which Men’s Program is Set Up For Success?. Which Men’s Program is Set Up For Success?. dark

ST. LOUIS – Indiana State Cross Country and Track and Field Program Director and Head Coach Angela Martin was selected as the 2025 MVC Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, as announced Tuesday afternoon by the conference office.
 
Martin was selected by the league’s head coaches as the Coach of the Year on both the men’s and women’s side after guiding Indiana State to its second straight sweep of the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Sycamores won three of the four MVC Track and Field Championships during the 2024-25 campaign (women’s indoor, men’s outdoor, women’s outdoor).
 
Indiana State surpassed the 200-point mark on the men’s side for the second straight season with 208, winning the MVC title by more than 50 points for a second straight year and completing back-to-back 200-point championship scoring totals for the first time in program history. The Sycamores finished with 140.5 points on the women’s side and won the conference title by more than 20 points for a second straight season.
 
As a team, Indiana State had 10 conference champions and 29 all-conference performers as part of their title sweep. Included in those winning totals were a pair of repeat champions from Martin’s hurdles group in Rachel Mehringer (100m hurdles) and Collin Forrest (110m hurdles).
 
Indiana State also qualified 16 entries for the 2025 NCAA East First Round, which starts Wednesday, marking the fourth straight year under Martin that the Trees have double-digit entries and athletes competing in the regional round. The 16 entries for the Sycamores are the most for the program since 2015.
 
For the season, Indiana State set 45 program top-10 marks, with 24 men’s top-10 marks and 21 women’s top-10 marks being set during the 2025 outdoor campaign. The Sycamores also had six program records broken, as Sloan Cox (shot put), Lillian Gibbs (javelin), Casey Hood Jr. (100m), Rachel Mehringer (100m hurdles), Will Staggs (pole vault) and the men’s distance medley relay team of Emerson Fayman, Trent Jones, Caden Emmert and Jason Dworak all breaking school records for the Blue and White. In addition, Mehringer also broke the Missouri Valley Conference and MVC Championship record in the 100m hurdles.
 
Indiana State also took home multiple MVC specialty awards this season, continuing their trend of being among the best in the conference. Casey Hood Jr. was named the MVC Most Valuable Athlete at the MVC Outdoor Championships after scoring 20.5 points across three events, and he was also the MVC Most Outstanding Men’s Track Athlete as the highest-ranked athlete among conference champions. Rachel Mehringer was the MVC Most Outstanding Women’s Track Athlete for being the highest-ranked athlete among conference champions, while Justice Boston and Emma Yoder were MVC Co-Freshmen of the Year after both scored 12 points at the conference championships. Will Staggs was named the MVC Elite 18 Award winner, which goes to the student-athlete with the highest GPA to also medal at the conference championships.
 
Tuesday’s announcement marks Martin’s 15th career MVC Coach of the Year honor (seven men’s, eight women’s), with seven of those honors (four men’s, three women’s) being Outdoor Coach of the Year accolades.
 
Follow the Sycamores

For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 

– #MarchOn –

Pairings in boys and girls rugby, as well as boys volleyball, were released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

One local boys team made the rugby tournament, while five area boys volleyball teams will strive to capture a state championship.

Boys volleyball

In Division 1, making the 39-team field were Chelmsford, Lowell and Lowell Catholic.

In round of 32 clashes, No. 11 Chelmsford (17-3) will host No. 22 Milford (12-9), date and time to be announced,  and No. 14 Lowell (18-2) will entertain No. 19 Boston Latin (13-5) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

In a prelim match, No. 39 Lowell Catholic (15-5) will try to upset No. 26 Barnstable (15-5) on the road, date and time be announced.

In Division, in the 41-team field are Greater Lowell Tech and Billerica.

In a round of 32 battle, No. 14 Greater Lowell (17-3) will host No. 19 Somerville (12-8), time and time to be announced. In a prelim, No. 36 Billerica (11-9) will journey to No. 29 Greater Lawrence (15-5) on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Boys rugby

The lone local school in the seven-team Division 2 field is Chelmsford.

The No. 3 Lions (6-0) will host No. 6 Hingham (4-2) in a round of 8 game, date and time to be announced. Hanover (7-0) is the top seed.

None of the four schools in the Division 1 girls rugby tournament are local.

MUCH FOR COMING IN IS GREAT TO SEE YOU. >> 9.33 IS THAT I’M ALL RIGHT. LET’S DIVE INTO THIS ONE TO GET THE SUNSHINE AND THE GULF COAST. THERE’S A LOT OF WAYS YOU CAN HEAD OUT, INCLUDING THIS ONE ON THE WATER. THAT’S RIGHT. SO THE BRIGHT WATER LAGOON IN NORTH FORT MYERS IS FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY COMPLIMENTARY LOUNGERS RENTALS. CABANAS AND SON, WHO MIGHT BE A CABA HE’S GULF COAST IT WAS A VISA. >> JEN, GREG, IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY HERE IN THE GULF COAST, BUT ALSO IT’S EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL HERE AT BRIGHT WATER LAGOON. WE’RE ON THE OBSTACLE COURSE. AND YOU WEREN’T KIDDING, JIMMY, THIS IS A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. VERY PHYSICAL. BUT IT’S GOOD FOR THE YOUNG AND THE YOUNG AT HEART YES, IT GOOD FOR THE AND THE YOUNG AT ABSOLUTELY. SO HE STARTED OUT WE WERE OVER AT THE AT THE SANDBAR YOU MAKING BUCKETS OF BEER THAT YOU CAN. YOU KNOW, YOU DON’T NEED LIKE 12 OF THE SAME BEER, RIGHT? YEAH. AND NIXON RIGHT. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR TROPICAL DRINKS AS WE. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF SIGNATURE DRINKS. LAGOON, I THINK IS WHAI HAVE. YOU HAVE THE LAGOON. SUNRISES ARE THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF OUR MANY SIGNATURE COCKTAILS THAT WE AND YOU’VE GOT LIFEGUARDS OUT HERE. YOU’VE GOT THE THE LIFE VEST. SAFETY IS A CONCERN SAFETY A HUGE CONCERN FOR US. SO WE HAVE A LIFEGUARD TEAM THAT IS HELPING WITH THESE ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS THE VOTE OPERATION. SO WE’RE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP OF AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GUY PEOPLE IF THEY NEED A LITTLE ASSISTANCE. IT’S FUNNY I MEAN, THERE ACTUALLY IS BOAT IN THE LAGOON. THAT’S THAT’S KIND OF COOL. 6 ACRES. YEAH, WATER. IT’S A BIG, BIG 6 ACRE LAGOON. ABSOLUTELY. SO AGAIN, YOU’VE GOT THE CABANA COVE. THAT’S A VIP AREA THAT YOU CAN UPGRADE YOURSELF TO ENJOY SOME TABLE TO TABLE SIDE SERVICE. SO IF YOU WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR EXPERIENCE, BUT NOT? WE ALSO HAVE OTHER RENTAL SPACES THAT AREN’T AREN’T IN COMMAND CO. SO IF YOU WANT TO HANG OUT IN THE SHOWER AREA, WE ALSO HAVE SOME UMBRELLAS AND SOME OTHER TEEPEES THAT YOU COULD RENT, BUT IT’S ALL ONLINE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY READ EVERYTHING YOU NEED ONLINE. I’M ALWAYS IN THE SHALLOW END OF THINGS. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL PLACE. YOU GUYS JUST OPENED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, RIGHT? YEAH. WE OPEAT THE TAIL END OF LAST YEAR. ORIGINALLY WE OPEN SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR RESIDENTS FOR A FEW WEEKS. IT CAN GET THE EAST OF THINGS. AND THEN WE WE’VE BEEN SLOWLY TRYING TO OPEN THE IN THE ENTIRE PROPERTY. WE’RE FINALLY HERE AND YOU GUYS DID A BANG-UP JOB. I’M TELLING YOU THE FOOD, THE DRINK, THE THE ATMOSPHERE HERE IS JUST INCREDIBLE. PLUS, IT’S NOT JUST THE LAGOON AT SOUTH. YOU’VE GOT SOME LIVE MUSIC AND GAMES OUT THERE SO THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE A GREAT EVENT CALENDAR FULL OF STUFF. SO WITH WHETHER IT’S AT TRIVIA NIGHT OR KARAOKE OR WE HAVE SPORTS PLAYING ON OUR TV’S. WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF ACTIVITIES WE HAVE CIGAR NIGHT. YOU NAME IT. SO IF YOU GO ON OUR WEBSITE AND CLICK ON OR EVENT CALENDAR, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES. YOU CAN ALL FFERENT EVENTS HE CAN DO. AND THIS ISRIGHT WATER LAGOON. BUT THE WEBSITE ITSELF IS METRO LAGOONS RAN FROM METRO LEAGUE INSIDE COM. YOU CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT ALL 4 OF OUR LAGOONS AND THEY’RE ALL VERY UNIQUE ANDDIFFERENT. FOR INSTANCE, MAROTTA IT’S ABOUT 3 TIMES AS BAIT. IS THIS LIKE EVERY OTHER NOT? YEAH, IT’S MASSIVE. AND THEN HOW IT SO AGAIN, THIS SUMMER THIS PLACE GOING TO CROWDED LIKE SNOWBIRDS ARE GONE. BUT US LOCALS ARE GOING TO BE DIVING. YEAH, RIGHT. WHERE YOUR GOD THAT WE CAN? WE CAN ENJOY IT FOR OURSELVES. YEP. AND IF THE SNOWBIRDS ARE LISTENING AT HOME AND WATCHING ON, YOU CAN COME PLAY TO WIN YOUR DEBT DOWN HERE I THINK THAT THE BEST PART ABOUT IS WHEN I FALL. BUT THE OTHER BEST PART ABOUT IT IS THE WATER. IT’S VERY WARM RIGHT NOW. YEAH, IT’S LIKE I SAID, IT’S IT’S ALWAYS FEW DEGREES WITHIN MARGIN OF THE OF THE GULF. SO IT’S VERY IT’S VERY SIMILAR TO THE GULF RIGHT NOW. IT’S REFRESHING RIGHT NOW. TODAY’S YES, NO, IT’S NOT COLD COMING DOWNHAT SLIDE. DOES THAT HAVE A NAME ASSIST OUR SIDE LIKE THAT WAS LIKE A BAM. YELLOW, GOOD MORNING. THING ABOUT THE ABT THAT ONE IS THAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE OF ADMISSION. SEE HOW TO PAY EXTRA TO DO THAT. AND AGAIN LED THE KAYAKING AND PADDLE BOARDING. YEAH. AND YOU’RE SPLASH PASSED WOULD INCLUDE KAYAKING AND THEN THIS THIS FANTASTIC ATTRACTION HERE. ACTUALLY HAVE A SMALLER ONE FOR THE FOR KIDS THAT CAN’T QUITE DO THIS ONE. AND WHY DIDN’T WE START THERE? WELL, YOU GOT TO SURV HERE BRIGHT BREEZY. IT IS BRIGHT WATER. ALL WITH THE LIFEGUARDS NAME. APPARENT AARON. ALL RIGHT. IF YOU’RE GOING TO SAVE MY LIFE RIGHT? OKAY. ALL RIGHT, JEN? GREG, I’M GONNA SEND IT BAC TO YOU GUYS IN THE STUDIO. BUT FIRST I WANT TO DO THIS ONE. >> IT EVERYTHING. LOT GUYS. >> HOUSE LOUD STUFF. >> IT’S AMAZING. IT LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT TIME FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES, YOUNG AND OLD, GOING TO HEAD OUT THE RIGHT WATER LAGOON. CHECK IT OUT. IT’S AN SUNNY PAGE LANE IN NORTH FORT MYERS. THEY ALSO HAVE THE MINI-GOLF AND OTHER THINGS OUTSIDE OF THE WATER. OUTDOOR GAMES, THE HAPPY HOUR MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SO PUT INFO ON GULF COAST NEWS WEBSITE AS WELL AS OUR IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR THE SEGMEN

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State track and field’s 21 qualified athletes are set to compete at the 2025 NCAA West First Rounds at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas, from Wednesday to Saturday, May 28-31.
 
MEET INFORMATION
2025 NCAA West First Rounds
Date: May 28-31, 2025 
Start: Wednesday @ 9 a.m.; Thursday @ 9 a.m.; Friday @ noon; Saturday @ noon (MT)
Site: College Station, Texas
Venue: E.B. Cushing Stadium
Live Streaming: ESPN+
Live Results: Record Timing
Competitions: Meet Schedule and Start Lists (Men and Women)
More Information: Championships Central
 
DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY ARTIE GULDEN
“This will be a great week for us! We are very proud to have 21 student-athletes here at the NCAA West prelims. We have a lot of kids not satisfied with just being here – they want to move on. If we can compete like we’ve competed all year, I like our chances to have a number of them move on to the NCAA finals.”
 
RAISING THE BAR
Hammer, who holds the USU outdoor pole vault record, made Aggie history by clearing 5.50 meters (18-0.5) at the BYU Indoor Invitational on January 11, setting the Utah State indoor pole vault record. His mark bested the previous record of 5.45 meters (17-10.5), which was set by Lance White in 1994 and matched by Mark Calvin in 1998. Hammer broke his own record the following week by clearing 5.55 meters (18-2.5) at the Snake River Open on Jan. 17. At the Roman Ruiz Speed and Power Invite on Feb. 1, Hammer broke both his own record and the George Nelson Fieldhouse record with his mark of 5.60 meters (18-4.5). On February 15, the Nampa, Idaho, product cleared 5.61 meters (18-4.75) at the Tyson Invitational to break the school record. Hammer tied his school record en route to a sixth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning first-team All-American honors. He joins White as the only USU men’s pole vaulters to earn both indoor and outdoor All-American honors.
 
On April 17, Hammer broke his own outdoor school record and Mountain West record at the Pacific Coast Invitational, clearing 5.68 meters (18-7.5), then broke it again two days later at the Beach Invitational with a height of 5.70 meters (18-8.25). He also broke his own MW championship record by clearing 5.65 meters (18-6.5) at the conference championships on May 17. Hammer enters the prelims with the second-best outdoor pole vault mark in the NCAA and the seventh-highest mark of any American, professional or collegiate, in 2025.
 
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
Utah State distance runners have set six school records during the 2025 outdoor campaign. At the Stanford Invitational on April 4, graduate Camren Todd shattered the USU record in the 10,000 meters with his finishing time of 28:10.91, a time 22.54 seconds faster than the record set by Luke Beattie in 2021. Junior Sarah Ellis became the first Aggie woman to break a school record in the 2024-25 campaign by running the 5,000 meters in 16:04.58, topping Mica Rivera’s time of 16:07.73 set in 2023. On April 16 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, junior Logan Garnica broke the USU record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:33.91, topping graduate teammate Max Wehrli’s mark from the 2024 edition of the meet. Stanford’s track hosted another Utah State school record as Thornley topped Ellis’ 5,000-meter performance with her own time of 16:01.44 at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Two more school records fell at the 2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Clovis, California, as graduate Hannah Davidson ran the 1,500 meters in 4:23.72, topping Tylee Skinner’s time of 4:23.99 from 2018, and sophomore Shelby Jensen clocked in at 9:48.44 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to best Cierra Simmons-Mecham’s record time of 9:49.33 from the same 2018 season. Five of the six record-breaking runners will feature at the NCAA prelims.
 
USU’s sprint squad set their first school record of the year in the final meet of the regular season. At the Franson Last Chance in Azusa, California, the women’s 4×400-meter relay team of freshman Mashaylee Jones, senior Emma Reeves, Nielson and junior Alison Richter broke USU’s 29-year-old record in the event with their time of 3:38.66.
 
POLE VAULT U
Utah State pole vaulters have claimed eight top-10 placements in Aggie history so far in the 2025 track and field season. Hammer’s indoor school record of 5.61 meters (18-4.75) headlined a prolific indoor season that also saw Richards set the sixth-best mark in school history at the Tyson Invitational with a clearance of 5.25 meters (17-2.75) and junior Marshall Rasmussen set the seventh best with a height of 5.21 meters (17-1) at the MW Indoor Championships. On the women’s side, freshman Abbie Scott claimed the second-best height in Aggie history by clearing 4.11 meters (13-5.75) in her silver-medal performance at the MW Indoor Championships and freshman Lucy Jeppson set the fifth-best mark with her clearance of 3.88 meters (12-8.75) at the BYU December Invitational. Aggie vaulters have carried their momentum into the outdoor season, with Richards setting USU’s fourth-best mark of 5.30 meters (17-4.75) at the Bobcat Invitational, Rasmussen posting the seventh-best mark of 5.19 meters (17-0.25) at the UNLV Rebel ELITE, and Hammer twice breaking the outdoor school record at April’s Long Beach, California, meets. All three vaulters are set to compete at the NCAA prelims on Wednesday.
 
BOUND FOR OREGON?
Utah State has 21 athletes competing in 18 events at the NCAA West First Rounds. Berths to the First Rounds were awarded to the region’s top 48 individuals and top 24 relay teams in each event. Aggie athletes set to compete this weekend are listed below with their regional seed and converted marks.
 
USU Men:
 

Event	USU Athletes
800 Meters	16. Landon Bott, 1:47.11.
10,000 Meters	18. Camren Todd, 28:10.91.
3,000-Meter Steeplechase	9. Logan Garnica, 8:33.91; 34. Garrett Woodhouse, 8:46.89.
4×100-Meter Relay	17. Utah State (Diego Aguirre-Stewart, Daniel Chase, Mathew Hall, Ayodele Ojo, Brennan Benson), 39.65.
High Jump	32. Taite Priestley, 2.12 meters (6-11.5).
Pole Vault	2. Logan Hammer, 5.70 meters (18-8.25); 27. Javin Richards, 5.30 meters (17-4.5); 44. Marshall Rasmussen, 5.19 meters (17-0.25).
Discus	29. Nate Franz, 57.13 meters (187-5); 39. Joseph Turner, 56.37 meters (184-11).
Javelin	25. Walker Deede, 68.72 meters (225-5).

 
USU Women:
 

 
The top-12 finishers in each event at each of the NCAA West and East First Rounds will qualify for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 11-14.
  
LAST MEET
The Utah State men’s team placed third and the women’s team finished ninth at the 2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Clovis, California, from May 15-17. The Aggies won two individual titles, earned 11 medals, broke two school records and posted 10 performances that rank in the top 10 in Utah State history.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
-USU-