Long Beach State’s Men’s Volleyball players, less than 24 hours after an on-court victory celebration during which they literally jumped for joy while spectators cheered at the top of their lungs, returned to their home campus with a souvenir that only they could carry — the 2025 National Championship trophy.

“The volleyball national championship trophy has returned to its rightful place at Long Beach State University,” Executive Director of Athletics Bobby Smitheran exclaimed May 13 when a cheering crowd welcomed triumphant volleyballers back to campus.

“This is the third national championship of the past seven seasons, and that means some signs on Atherton and Seventh Street are getting updated,” Smitheran said, one day after the team won its latest championship.

The signs he mentioned declare to passing motorists they are within sight of “Volleyball Nation” and list each of Long Beach State’s past national titles in the sport. A May 12 victory over the UCLA Bruins at Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio secured The Beach’s fourth championship in men’s volleyball.

The team followed up on its celebration at the Pyramid with a May 14 parade along Pine Avenue. The events closed out a season in which the squad started out as a contender, being ranked second in the nation before winning the season’s first 20 games.

The basic numbers tell a story of near invincibility. The Beach spent 14 weeks ranked No. 1 and posted a 30-3 record. Smitheran listed these and other accomplishments during the squad’s triumphant return to Walter Pyramid.

The men’s team also met and overcame a series of challenges. For one, the team’s first match was postponed because of January’s calamitous wildfires in the areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Men’s Volleyball also played with a rebuilt roster, filling 10 vacancies at the outset of the season before having to adjust to multiple injuries, Head Coach Alan Knipe said during the Pyramid celebration.

“They just came in and there’s a cliche out there, as coaches, that ‘our team is a next-man-up team,’ and these guys lived that,” Knipe said. “I’m so proud what they did and the way they played and the way they went about their business.”

All-around excellence

Long Beach State’s athletics history began in 1950; teams representing the campus have now won 16 national championships. In addition to the four titles claimed by the men’s team, Women’s Volleyball has won five championships.

Beach Athletics today fields 19 teams competing at the intercollegiate level. All Beach Athletics teams have met NCAA Academic Progress Rate standards for the last two years for which complete data is available.

The Men’s Volleyball roster includes Moni Nikolov, a pre-psychology freshman who earned NCAA All-Tournament MVP honors after receiving recognition as the 2025 AVCA National Collegiate Player of the Year. Additionally, transfer student Georgi Binev, majoring in kinesiology, won the NCAA Elite 90 award. Binev’s prize honors student athletes who have the top cumulative GPAs among competitors who reach the final venue for their sport’s championship round.

Binev has a 4.0 GPA and is the second Long Beach State student-athlete to win this award. Women’s Volleyball player Kobi Pekich claimed the prize in 2017.

The Men’s Volleyball roster has four players who, by virtue of their high GPAs, earned placement on the President’s List for the fall term. Another quartet reached the Dean’s List. Two players — sociology major Sotiris Siapanis and kinesiology major Skyler Varga — earned Big West Academic All-Conference honors in 2024. This year’s awards for spring sports have yet to be announced.

A championship tradition

Long Beach State first won a national volleyball title when the women’s team won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship at the conclusion of the 1972 season. The women’s team repeated for the 1973 campaign and their successors in 1989, 1993 and 1998 won additional championships.

The entire 1989 and 1998 teams earned induction into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame, with multiple players on both rosters also being honored as individual hall of famers. They include Misty May-Treanor, among the nation’s most famous volleyballers thanks to her Olympic victories in beach volleyball.

Long Beach Men’s Volleyball won its first championship in 1991 and more recently, claimed back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Beach volleyballers won the 2019 championship on their home court at Walter Pyramid.

This year’s final match took place all the way over in the Eastern Time Zone, and Coach Knipe thanked the Beach fans who watched the championship round on television, as well as those who supported the team throughout the season.

“Watching the sold-out crowds at the Pyramid, we have, by far, the best fans,” Knipe said. “I know there’s a couple other institutions that like to claim that. That’s not even close. You guys are amazing. You can feel the energy in all of our matches.” 
 

By: Hunter McKay

Outdoor Meet 11: Kennesaw State at 2025 NCAA East First Rounds

Starting Blocks

The Kennesaw State track and field teams will be well represented with a program-high 24 athletes competing in 16 events at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The University of North Florida will play host to the NCAA Championships East First Rounds from May 28-31 in Jacksonville. The men will compete on May 27 and May 29 while the women compete on May 28 and May 30. Athletes who rank among the top 48 in their respective events earn berths into the NCAA Championships. The best 24 relay times also advanced to NCAA Championships. Athletes with the top 12 times/marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West First Rounds will advance for the semifinals/finals of the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon May 11-14. There is no decathlon or heptathlon competition at this part of the NCAA Championships. The top 24 decathlon and heptathlon marks in the nation earn an automatic berth to the finals of the NCAA Championships.

 

LAST TEAM OUTDOOR MEET
The Kennesaw State men’s and women’s track and field teams completed competition at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships by earning the school’s second CUSA title.
The KSU men’s team collected its first Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship scoring 216.5 points in the three-day meet. The Owls also concluded the Liberty men’s run of 17-consecutive outdoor titles at the Division I level. KSU and Liberty’s 5.5-point differential was the closest CUSA Outdoor Championship finish since 2006. Cale McDaniel was named CUSA Men’s Coach of the Year.  
 
NEXT UP
 Athletes with the top 12 times/marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West First Rounds sites will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. The decathlon and heptathlon will not be held during the NCAA Preliminary Rounds. Instead, the top 24 decathlon and heptathlon scores in the nation earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship site.
 
NEWS AND NOTES
» The Owls have the top marks in CUSA in eight events on the men’s side and two events on the women’s side.
 
» KSU enters the weekend ranked 10th (men) and 11th (women) in the NCAA South Region.
 
Keep up with Owls track and field teams by following KSU on Twitter at @KSUOwlNation and @KSUTrackFieldXC, on Instagram @ksuowlstrackxc or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
 

An LBC native, Mike Guardabascio has been covering Long Beach sports professionally for 13 years, with his work published in dozens of Southern California magazines and newspapers. He’s won numerous awards for his writing as well as the CIF Southern Section’s Champion For Character Award, and is the author of three books about Long Beach history.

http://The562.org

Nebraska track and field will have 52 entries competing at the NCAA West Preliminary Round this week at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas. 

Athletes who rank among the top 48 in their respective events earned berths into the NCAA West Preliminary Round, as well as the 24 best relay times.

The top 12 competitors from each individual event and the top 12 teams from each relay event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, hosted in Eugene, Ore. The list of qualifiers from each event contested in the first rounds will be announced by 4 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, June 1. The final list of the championships competition participants will be announced by 2 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, June 3.

The four-day regional meet will have the men compete on Wednesday and Friday, while the women will compete on Thursday and Saturday. 

NCAA West Preliminary Round Meet Information
Dates: May 28-31
Location: College Station, Texas (E.B. Cushing Stadium)
Times (CT): Wednesday – Field Events: 10 a.m. / Running Events: 6 p.m.; Thursday – Field Events: 10 a.m. / Running Events: 6 p.m.; Friday – Field Events: 1 p.m. / Running Events: 5 p.m.; Saturday – Field Events: 1 p.m. / Running Events: 5 p.m.
Meet Schedule: Link 
Watch: ESPN+
Live Results: Link

Men (21)
1. Keyshawn Strachan, Javelin, 81.01m (265-9)
1. Tyus Wilson, High Jump, 2.25m (7-4 ½)
2. Arthur Petersen, Javelin, 78.91m (258-11)
4. Dash Sirmon, Javelin, 78.26m (256-9)
5. Dyson Wicker, Pole Vault, 5.55m (18-2 ½)
5. Cade Moran, Shot Put, 19.90m (65-3 ½)
11. Maxwell Otterdahl, Discus, 59.12m (193-11)
13. Reid Nelson, High Jump, 2.17m (7-1 ½)
15. Brett Schwartz, Discus, 58.79m (192-10)
16. Hayden Gorovitz, Javelin, 70.09m (229-11)
17. Maxwell Otterdahl, Shot Put, 19.18m (62-11 ¼) 
17. Mason Kooi, High Jump, 2.16m (7-1)
21. Niko Schultz, 800m, 1:47.39
23. Cade Moran, Discus, 57.59m (188-11)
24. Kavian Kerr, 100m, 10.19
25. Pradeep Senthilkumar, 800m, 1:47.59
29. Desire Tonye-Nyemeck, High Jump, 2.12m (6-11 ½)
37. Kavian Kerr, Long Jump, 7.60m (24-11 ¼) 
41. Seth Schnakenberg, Hammer Throw, 63.10m (207-0)
47. James Ledbetter, 400mH, 51.29
58. Gabe Nash, 800m, 1:48.67

Women (30)
2. Maddie Harris, Javelin, 59.12m (193-11)
5. Jenna Rogers, High Jump, 1.88m (6-2)
7. Kalynn Meyer, Discus, 58.29m (191-3)
9. Eniko Sara, Javelin, 55.78m (183-0)
9. Karsyn Leeling, High Jump, 1.85m (6-0 ¾)
10. Kalynn Meyer, Shot Put, 17.44m (57-2 ¾)
13. Jenessa Ruder, Javelin, 53.95m (177-0)
18. Kellyn Kortemeyer, Shot Put, 16.89m (55-5)
19. Lishanna Ilves, Long Jump, 6.34m (20-9 ¾)
20. Jacelyn Neighbors, Pole Vault, 4.32m (14-2)
22. Kylie Clark-Fox, Pole Vault, 4.31m (14-1 ¾)
22. Darby Thomas, 100m, 11.27
22. Ali Bainbridge, 10000m, 33:24.07
22. Cammy Garabian, Hammer Throw, 62.80m (206-0)
29. Hillevi Carlsson, Hammer Throw, 60.12m (197-3)
29. Velecia Williams, Triple Jump, 12.92m (42-4 ¾)
29. Brooklyn Miller, High Jump, 1.79m (5-10 ½)
29. Riley Masten, High Jump, 1.79m (5-10 ½)
31. Velecia Williams, Long Jump, 6.28m (20-7 ¼)
32. Sage Burbach, Shot Put, 16.15m (53-0)
33. Berlyn Schutz, 1500m, 4:14.98
33. Lauren St. Peters, Discus, 53.20m (174-6)
36. Amelia Flynt, Shot Put, 15.95m (52-4)
36. Arina Razina, Pole Vault, 4.20m (13-9 ¼)
38. Kellyn Kortemeyer, Discus, 52.99m (173-10)
43. Amelia Flynt, Discus, 52.45m (172-1)
44. Ali Bainbridge, 5000m, 15:54.16
48. Berlyn Schutz, 5000m, 15:57.43
51. Ela Velepec, High Jump, 1.76m (5-9 ¼) 
53. Kelsie Belquist, 400m, 53.54