NEW ORLEANS – Augustana junior Charlotte Frere was selected Midwest Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Additionally, Elmhurst’s Tyler Sheehan was named Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches after the 2025 NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
 

Frere won her second straight national title in the discus by nearly eight feet, becoming the first women’s track & field student-athlete in Augustana history to win multiple national championships. Earlier in the season, Frere launched a throw of 53.10m, which currently sits as the No. 3 furthest throw in Division III history and the best mark in the event in 23 years. 
 
Sheehan, who oversees the Bluejays’ sprinters and hurdlers, played a pivotal role in guiding Elmhurst to a ninth-place team finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The highlight of the national meet came in the 4×100-meter relay, where his squad stormed to a national runner-up finish—one of the top performances in school history and the Elmhurst record in the event.
 
At the CCIW Championships, his athletes were instrumental in delivering Elmhurst its first outdoor conference team title in program history. The team racked up 80 points from Sheehan’s event group alone, including a dominant 1-2-3 sweep in the 100-meter hurdles.

Augustana, Elmhurst athletics communications contributed to this release.

CLINTON, S.C. – Presbyterian College and the Blue Hose athletic department have announced Maddie Moss as the new head coach of the PC volleyball program.
 
A former collegiate team captain and standout student-athlete at Lander University, Moss brings a strong background in player development, recruiting, and program management, with coaching experience ranging from the NCAA Division I level to youth development leagues.
 
“Coach Moss brings a new level of energy and excitement to our program,” Said Presbyterian Director of Athletics Dee Nichols. “Her devotion to the game and passion to develop our student-athletes on and off the court align with our mission and values for Blue Hose Athletics. With her leadership and volleyball acumen, Coach Moss will continue to move the needle and will elevate this talented group of players to achieve championship level success.
 
Moss takes over a program that advanced to the 2024 Big South Tournament semifinals and returns 11 letterwinners, including junior opposite/outside hitter Courtney Williams, a 2024 Second Team All-Big South selection.
 
Before taking over at the helm of the Blue Hose, Moss spent the last two years as a member of the coaching staff at the University of West Georgia. She was responsible for overseeing practice plans, specializing in setter training, managing team analytics and film review, and contributing to recruiting efforts. She played an active role in match preparation and opponent scouting, while also gaining valuable administrative experience in budgeting, travel coordination, and gear management.
 
While at UWG, Moss guided two student-athletes to First and Second Team All-GSC honors during the program’s final season at the Division II level. She helped lead the team to the 2023 Gulf South Conference Tournament before the Wolves transitioned to Division I and joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2024. In their ASUN debut, Moss played a key role in coaching the program’s first Division I All-Conference honoree, who earned a spot on the Third Team.
 
Beyond her time at UWG, she has held various coaching roles, including head club coach for the Emerald City Juniors Volleyball Club, and youth coach with Birmingham Volleyball Club’s Court Crashers program, all while mentoring athletes as a private lessons instructor.
 
Moss played collegiate volleyball at Lander University, where she served as a team captain and was a steady contributor both on and off the court. Over four seasons, she helped lead the Bearcats to 57 wins, including 25 in Peach Belt Conference play, and contributed to multiple PBC Tournament runs. In 2022, she played an integral role for the squad that earned Lander its first NCAA Southeast Regional appearance since 2018.
 
Off the court, Moss excelled academically. She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a minor in Healthcare Management. A four-time Peach Belt Conference Academic Distinction honoree, she also earned CSC Academic All-District recognition in 2022, and was a consistent presence on the Dean’s and President’s Lists.
 
She recently completed her Master’s in Sports Management at the University of West Georgia.
 
“I couldn’t be more excited to step into this role as head volleyball coach at PC,” said coach Moss. “This program has incredible potential, and I am excited to work with this exceptional and talented group. My goal is to create a competitive, supportive, and energetic environment for these athletes to thrive on the court and in the classroom. I’m ready to get to work and make an impact on the Blue Hose family and create something special.”
 

MILFORD, Mass. (WBZ) – An 18-year-old high school student, who is undocumented but has lived in Massachusetts since he was 5, was detained by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the way to volleyball practice.

Four Milford High School students were on their way to volleyball practice Saturday morning when three unmarked vehicles carrying ICE agents pulled up behind them. At least two of the students in the car were undocumented, including the driver, 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes.

The other undocumented student in the car at the time spoke out about the incident. He asked to remain anonymous. He says that they weren’t doing anything wrong to warrant being pulled over.

“An ICE officer stepped out of his vehicle, knocked on the window and asked what his documentation was,” the student said.

The agents interrogated the car full of students about their documentation before taking Gomes, who is a high school junior, into custody. The other undocumented student says he was not taken into custody by ICE because he is underage.

“That’s kind of when emotion hit, and I started crying… Tears just started coming down my eyes,” the student said.

The student says he is now afraid all his hard work in school and being a good member of the community is in jeopardy.

“I always knew this to be a system that kicks out undocumented people for committing crimes, and now, it’s a system that will just kick you out based on your status,” he said.

Milford Police say they were not informed ICE would by carrying out this operation, and Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre said the following in a statement:

“The Milford Public Schools play no part in immigration enforcement and support all of our students and families, including those who are immigrants to the United States. They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors.”

Family members say Gomes has lived in the Milford area since he was 5 years old.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking, and Marcelo is such a kind person. He’s the last person that this should be happening to. His siblings are so young, and they’re asking questions like whether they’re ever going to see him again,” said Gomes’ cousin, Ana Julia Araujo.

Araujo says Gomes is currently being held at an ICE detention center in Burlington.

Hundreds rallied Sunday in support of Gomes, including members of Milford High School’s Class of 2025, who marched down the street in their caps and gowns after graduation. Gomes is a member of the school band and was set to play drums at the ceremony.

“Marcelo was a good kid. He was excited for his future. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He was innocently going to a practice, and he was targeted,” said Gomes’ girlfriend, Julianys Rentas.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, also spoke out against Gomes’ detention.

“I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he [Gomes] was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected. My heart goes out to the Milford community on what was supposed to be a celebratory graduation day. The Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it’s making us all less safe,” said Healey in a statement.

Copyright 2025 WBZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored North Central College men’s track & field head coach Gabe Rivera with the Midwest Region Coach of the Year award, while Braden Nicholson was named the Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year, the organization announced on Thursday.

Rivera, in his third year at the helm of the Cardinal men’s track & field program, led North Central to its seventh straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Outdoor Championship this spring. Qualifying five individuals for the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championships, North Central claimed two All-American awards.

Earning those two All-American honors was Nicholson, the winner of the 10,000-meter race with a time of 29:20.59 to earn the program’s first individual national champion since 2021. He is also just the second student-athlete in school history to win a national championship at both the 10,000-meter and 3,000-meter distances, which Nicholson did at the 2025 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships on March 14. The graduate student also claimed All-American accolades in the 5,000-meter run with a sixth-place finish (14:16.83). Nicholson is now a seven-time All-American for the men’s track & field program, with a 2023 All-American honor in cross country. 

Nicholson and Rivera have continued the historic success of the North Central men’s track & field programs as this marks the 52nd straight outdoor season the Cardinals have produced an All-American at the DIII Outdoor National Championships. North Central has also won a combined 15 straight Indoor & Outdoor CCIW Championships, dating back to 2017.

 

Local News

The high school junior was arrested Saturday morning on his way to volleyball practice. Governor Maura Healey said she is “demanding immediate answers.”

A Milford High School student was detained by federal immigration officials on his way to volleyball practice Saturday, prompting a protest of hundreds of people.

“It was shocking. It’s frankly disgusting,” said coach Andrew Mainini.

The high school junior was arrested when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled over a car full of students, according to multiple reports. The boys were on their way to an early Saturday morning volleyball practice; Mainini told Boston.com he initially thought they overslept.

But, one of the student athletes texted Mainini, letting him know that the driver of their carpool had been detained by federal agents. The coach learned more details from the students Sunday, who said that upwards of ten masked people, who appeared to be ICE agents, began questioning the three high schoolers and scanning their faces with cell phones on their way to practice.

“These are high school students. They’re honors and AP level students. They are members of athletic teams. They are members of the student council. They are members of the school musical ensembles,” Mainini said.

Sunday morning, Milford families celebrated during the high school’s graduation ceremony. Afterwards, community members gathered to support the detained student at Milford Town Hall. The town, which is about 40 miles southwest of Boston, is nearly 30 percent foreign-born, according to census data.

During Sunday’s demonstration, family members identified the detained student as 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes, according to reports. He is originally from Brazil, and his full name is Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, according to the ICE inmate tracker. The tracker did not say where he is currently being held as of Sunday evening.

ICE and Milford police did not return a request for comment Sunday evening.

The coaching staff told the whole team about Da Silva after practice Saturday morning, after discussing it with school administration, Mainini said. Most of the team was in tears, he said, and one athlete even threw up.

“Marcelo was their friend. I think, to many of them, he felt like family. It was intense,” Mainini said. “He is deeply ingrained in the school community, and he is someone that touches people’s lives positively on a daily basis.”

The agents let the other two students go, Mainini said, including one who had a student visa through an exchange program. Agents told the other student to get “good representation because ICE would be back for them,” according to the coach. That student was under the age of 18.

“It was surreal,” Mainini said.

Governor Maura Healey said Sunday she “demands answers” about the arrest.

“Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions,” Healey wrote on X. “I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.”

“Free Marcelo”: Hundreds gather at Milford Town Hall

Hundreds gathered along Main Street in Milford during Sunday’s protest, some students still in graduation robes, wearing Milford red and chanting “hands off our kids.” Protesters held signs like “due process,” “Free Marcelo,” “He belongs here,” and “Education not deportation.”

Nearly 200 educators joined the demonstration, marching from the high school to town hall on Sunday, the Milford Teachers Association said. Union President Nick Molinari said “this student should have been at a volleyball practice with his teammates.”

“Instead, ICE agents targeted one of our students in a deliberate act of cruelty, traumatizing his family, friends and peers,” Molinari said. “This is immoral, unnecessary and should be universally condemned. We will not stand by while the rights and humanity of our students are violated.”

Rep. Jake Auchincloss also attended the demonstration.

“This administration has its public safety priorities backwards,” Auchincloss wrote on X. “It pardons cop-beaters from Jan 6 but detains high-school volleyball players. It makes gun-purchaser background checks harder while pushing for tax breaks to buy silencers for pistols.” 

Detained high school student’s girlfriend: ‘He is not a criminal’

Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre did not respond to a request for comment Sunday, but said in a statement to WCVB that the district has no role in immigration enforcement operations. 

“We have also had a number of parents who have been detained by ICE in recent weeks. We are all distraught by this news,” McIntyre’s statement read. “They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors. We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.”

A friend who was in the car when Da Silva was arrested said “if I were a year older, I would have been in the back of the car with my friend,” WCVB reported. The student’s girlfriend, Julianys Rentas, told the news station that she spoke to Da Silva after he was detained.

“He told me he had chains around his ankles, he had chains around his wrists,” Rentas said. “He’s in a cell with 30 other men. He’s the only 18-year-old there, he’s the youngest there. He is not a criminal. He’s a member of this community and has never done anything wrong.”

Mainini said that Da Silva is enrolled in honors classes and is a member of the school band. He told Boston.com that Da Silva doesn’t have any significant disciplinary record.

“This is a story where I think the public needs to take a hard look at the situation and really question what exactly is going on,” Mainini said.

Mainini told the Globe that Da Silva is enrolled in honors classes and is a member of the school band. Dawn Craig, a Milford school administrator, said he helped coach the girls volleyball team and took care of his younger siblings.

“He’s been in this country since he was 5,” Craig told the Globe. “Where is he going to be sent?”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

It encourages coaches, organisations and the public to share the wisdom and experiences that have changed lives, shining a light on the unique impact coaches have on individuals, teams and communities across the UK. 

Whether it’s a piece of guidance that boosted confidence, a word of encouragement that ignited passion, or a lesson that shaped a career, coaching is about more than performance, it’s about people.  

Throughout UK Coaching Week, UK Coaching is encouraging everyone to share their stories of great coaching that has left a lasting impact, either on social media, using the hashtag #PassItOn, on in their face-to-face sessions. 

Each day of the week, a different aspect of coaching, highlighting the diversity and depth of the role coaches play. 

Monday – Coaching the Person in Front of You 

Tuesday – The Art of Effective Communication 

Wednesday – Women in Coaching 

Thursday – Lifelong Learning in Coaching 

Friday – Building Confidence 

Saturday – Inspiring Change 

Sunday – Celebrating Success 

Reflecting on the significance of coaching, UK Coaching CEO, Mark Gannon, said: “Coaches shape not only athletes and participants but entire communities. 

“This UK Coaching Week, we want to celebrate the support and guidance that coaches pass on every day. By sharing these stories, we inspire others to #PassItOn and continue the cycle of growth and learning. 

“Recognising the extraordinary work coaches do in developing not only athletic skills but life skills is crucial. Let’s come together to inspire the next generation of coaches.” 

For more details about UK Coaching Week 2025, click here.