The Hillsdale College men’s track and field team opened up a frenzied final week of competition to try and qualify for the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships at its home track on Wednesday, hosting Hillsdale’s annual Last Chance Meet.

Hillsdale had several strong performances, though no new or improved provisional marks in the competition. Leading the way was junior Ben Haas, who remains the top mark in NCAA DII in the hammer throw. Haas took second on Wednesday behind professional thrower and past NCAA DII National Champion Austin Combs, with a throw of 66.14 meters, a provisional qualifying mark but short of his nation-leading best throw of 67.21 meters this season. Haas also placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 16.04 meters.

The Chargers got another runner-up finish in the pole vault from junior Connor McCormick, who cleared 4.71 meters to take second, while on the track Hillsdale had four of the top five placers in the 5,000m run, led by a 1-2 finish from Zach Self in a collegiate best time of 15:49.55 and Daniel Johnson in a collegiate best time of 15:55.62. Thomas Holm also took fourth in 16:58.25 and Johnathan Dys finished fifth in 17:11.14.

Hillsdale also had four placers in the 800m run, led by senior Richie Johnston, who took fourth in the 800m run in a personal best time of 1:55.70. Rhys Woodard placed sixth in 2:01.94 for the Chargers, Nathaniel Osborne took seventh in a collegiate best of 2:03.23, and Noah Gazmin placed eighth in a collegiate best time of 2:05.57. Gazmin and Osborne also teamed with Mark Masaka and Caleb Youngstedt to place second in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:40.58.

Also for the Chargers, John Ahrabi was runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase with a new personal best time of 10:37.23, and Hillsdale had two placers in the long jump, with Ryan Van Havel taking fifth with a personal best mark of 6.15 meters and Christian Hinrichs placing sixth in 6.03 meters. Jackson Childress took sixth in the discus with a throw of 47.01 meters, and Zealand Tarrant placed eighth in the 400m hurdles with a personal best time of 55.83.

The home meet might be over but the week is just beginning for the Chargers, who will be active through Sunday trying to get athletes qualified for the NCAA DII National Meet. Hillsdale has athletes competing at the University of Michigan on Friday, in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, and at Grand Valley State on Sunday trying to get marks and times that will ensure their spot at the national championships.

Photo by Tiffany Treppa

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – All West Coast Conference rowing programs are preparing for the 2025 West Coast Conference Rowing Championship.

Washington State and Oregon State’s varsity eight boats won Heluva Good Dip Crew of the Week honors the past two weeks. The Cougars competed in the Lake Wheeler Invite while the Beavers took home victory in their home regatta. 

In The Rankings

Oregon State is the only West Coast Conference team currently ranked. The Beavers are ranked 20th in the latest Pocock CRCA Coaches’ poll. Oregon State has been ranked all season.

This Week

All programs are idle this week as they prepare for the 2025 West Coast Conference Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. The championship takes place from May 16-17, with heat races on Friday and the petite and grand finals on Saturday. The finals on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Last Time Out

Several WCC programs have been competing all over the country these last few weeks.

Gonzaga’s varsity eight most recently competed in the Wheeler Invite, facing off against the likes of Duke and Virginia. The Bulldogs finished with a time of 6:30.43 as they faced off against some of the top programs in the country. 

Creighton set records in Kansas City in its most recent set of races. Both the first and second varsity eight recorded program records. Creighton’s first varsity eight finished with a time of 7:42.33 while the second varsity eight followed up with a time of 7:46.68.

Santa Clara last competed in the WIRA’s at Lake Natoma, where the varsity eight logged a time of 7:07.46. The Broncos would go on to win the novice four race later in the event.

Washington State also last raced at the Lake Wheeler invitational, where the varsity eight boat placed fourth. The Cougars beat nationally ranked North Carolina in that race after facing off against other ranked competition. Washington State was named Heluva Good Dip West Coast Conference Crew of the Week for its efforts after that weekend.

Oregon State recently was named Heluva Good Dip West Coast Conference Crew of the Week for the fourth time this season, the most weekly honors of any boat this season. Oregon State’s varsity eight has now topped ranked opponents in four straight regattas. 

Saint Mary’s last raced in Chula Vista against San Diego and UC San Diego. The Gaels’ first varsity eight boat picked up their first win of the event, defeating San Diego by open water, with a time of 7:07.78. In the second race amidst windier conditions, Saint Mary’s varsity eight finished ahead of UC San Diego for its second win of the weekend.

San Diego was last in the water at the Oregon State Invite at Dexter Lake. The Toreros’ varsity eight placed fourth in its race with a time of 7:15.79 while USD’s second varsity four had a nice showing with a second-place finish in their race with a time of 8:04.16.

Portland took second in all of its races in the WIRA’s at Lake Natoma. The varsity eight started things off for the Pilots, finishing second to the Sacramento State Hornets with a time of 6:48.546. 

Sacramento State also last competed at the Oregon State Invite at Dexter Lake. The Hornets were coming off a medal at the WIRA’s and placed third behind nationally ranked Oregon State and USC. Sacramento State’s varsity eight had a time of 7:02.95.

It’s a busy time of year for the Hillsdale College women’s track and field team, as athletes look to make a final mark that will qualify them for the NCAA DII Outdoor Championship meet at the end of May. 

Hillsdale kicked off Last Chance week on Wednesday with its own home invitational, and two athletes put down new or improved provisional marks to help their chances.

Junior Tara Townsend cleared a new personal best of 4.12 meters to take second in the pole vault, bested only by professional vaulter and past NCAA DII national champion Kristen Leland. Townsend’s new top mark moves her into eighth nationally at the NCAA DII level and further cements her spot at what would be her second straight Outdoor Championship appearance. Teammate Katie Clifford tied for seventh with a jump of 3.57 meters.

Hillsdale’s other new provisional mark came on the track, as senior Reese Dragovich ran a personal best time of 55.48 to take fourth in the 400m dash, setting a provisional mark in the event for the first time and ranking 67th in NCAA DII. Teammate Josee Behling was right behind in sixth in a solid time of 55.97 as well.

Along with the two provisional marks, junior Averi Parker had a strong meet for Hillsdale in the throws, taking third in the discus with a mark of 43.06 meters, and placing second in the hammer throw with a mark of 55.28 meters, just ahead of teammate Katie Sayles who took third in 53.37 meters.

Hillsdale had three placers in the high jump, as Baelyn Zitzmann took fourth with a clearance of 1.63 meters, just edging out teammate Reagan Dahlquist who also cleared 1.63 meters and placed sixth on jumps. Aubrie Wilson finished seventh with a clearance of 1.58 meters as well for the Chargers.

Also in the jumps, freshman Katie Kennedy set a new personal best in the long jump with a mark of 5.37 meters to place seventh, and also set a new best mark in the triple jump, with a distance of 11.18 meters to earn a sixth place finish. Teammate Grace Chen took seventh in the triple jump as well with a mark of 11.11 meters.

On the track, Nicole Marshall ran a new personal best in the 800m run to place sixth in 2:12.32, Lucy Minning took fourth in the 100m dash with a time of 11.78, and Gianna Lodice took seventh in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:08.02.

The home meet might be over but the week is just beginning for the Chargers, who will be active through Sunday trying to get athletes qualified for the NCAA DII National Meet. Hillsdale has athletes competing at the University of Michigan on Friday, in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, and at Grand Valley State on Sunday trying to get marks and times that will ensure their spot at the national championships.

Photo by Tiffany Treppa

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced the Lady Vols’ 2025 schedule Wednesday, which includes matches against 11 NCAA Tournament teams and four conference champions from last season.

“We are excited to release the 2025 schedule as we look towards another great year,” Rackham Watt said. “The goal is that we learn about ourselves early on and play a variety of opponents who will prepare us for the conference season. The SEC will be as challenging as ever and will have a new look as we welcome back the SEC Tournament. The team is preparing this summer to compete for a championship this fall.”

The Big Orange’s schedule features 14 home matches, starting with a contest against South Florida on Aug. 29. Lady Vol fans can purchase their season tickets, with general seating prices starting at $50. The reserved seating option is back again this year. Fans interested in those seats, which will be $75, should fill out the interest form, and a member of the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office will reach out in the coming weeks.

Last year, UT posted a 10-3 record at Food City Center while playing in front of the five largest crowds in program history. Vol Nation shattered the Tennessee volleyball records for total attendance (41,544) and average attendance (3,196) for the second straight season.

The 15-match SEC schedule was announced in April. For the first time in conference history, volleyball will feature programs from all 16 member institutions. Notable changes for this season’s league matchups include playing every team just one time and the return of the SEC Volleyball Championship for the first time since 2005.

Nine teams, including the Lady Vols, from the SEC earned bids to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Four squads (Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Texas A&M) advanced to the second weekend, with the Wildcats making it to the Elite Eight. Tennessee hosts the Gators and Aggies this season and will go on the road to take on the Longhorns and Kentucky.

Here’s a breakdown of Tennessee’s non-conference opponents:

South Florida // August 29 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Vols kick off the 2025 campaign with a matchup against the reigning American Athletic Conference regular season champions, the South Florida Bulls. Last season, USF posted a 19-10 record, going 14-2 in conference play, and defeated 10th-ranked Florida in five sets in Gainesville. The Bulls return 2024 AAC Player of the Year and AVCA All-American outside hitter Maria Clara Andrade, who tallied 453 kills, 507 points, 4.69 points and 4.19 kills per set. Tennessee is 2-0 all time against the Bulls, but the two teams haven’t met on the court since 1989.

Purdue // August 31 // Nashville, Tenn. (Bridgestone Arena)
As previously announced, the Big Orange and Purdue will faceoff in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena on the opening weekend of the volleyball season as part of the Broadway Block Party. The triple-header event features three SEC teams taking on three Big Ten foes. The Boilermakers are coming off a 27-7 campaign that saw them advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a No. 8 AVCA final ranking. Purdue returns 2024 Second Team All-Big Ten setter Taylor Anderson, who ranked eighth nationally in assists per set (11.25) and guided the team to its third-highest hitting percentage in single-season history (.280). The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

Wofford // September 4 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
The two-time reigning SoCon Tournament Champions put together a 23-9 campaign in 2024, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers return the SoCon Libero of the Year in Laney Klika and All-Freshman Team honoree Bradley Brown. Klika spearheaded a defense that finished fifth in the country in digs per set (18.41) and 26th in opponent hitting percentage (.169). She recorded 614 digs, 142 assists and 30 aces. The Big Orange owns a 2-1 record against the Terriers, with all three meetings coming since 2015.

Samford // September 5 // Knoxville // 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs began their 2024 campaign with a five-set victory of Mississippi State and finished with a 15-12 record. The squad is led outside hitter Kaleigh Meritt, a two-time All-SoCon selection and 2023 Freshman of the Year for the league. She boasts 751 kills, 504 digs, 75 blocks and 58 aces after her first two seasons at Samford. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.

Winthrop // September 5 // Knoxville // 7 p.m.
Winthrop posted a 16-11 record last year and finished second in the Big South with a 12-2 conference slate. The Eagles earned a second-straight bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The team is led by First Team All-Big South selection Avery Jolley, who is a native of Knoxville and played at West High School just a couple of miles from UT’s campus. As a junior, the outside hitter finished with 320 kills and 263 digs. The Lady Vols own a 4-2 record all time against the Eagles, with the last showdown coming in 2018 – a sweep for UT.

Delaware State // September 13 // Queens, N.Y. // 12 p.m.
Delaware State is the reigning MEAC Champions, besting Howard in the championship match to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets put together a 17-14 record for the season behind a trio of all-conference players who return in 2025. Outside hitter Gerren Tomlin garnered All-MEAC First Team honors after leading the team with 366 kills, 310 digs and 58 aces. She also brought home the 2024 MEAC Championship MVP award. Hannah Sanders was a second team selection at middle blocker, while setter Paige Ahakuelo was the MEAC Rookie of the Year. Tennessee’s only other meeting with the Hornets came in a sweep in 2015.

St. John’s // September 14 // Queens, N.Y. // 1 p.m.
St. John’s played its best volleyball down the stretch of the 2024 campaign, winning eight of its final 11 matches. The Red Storm earned a third-straight NIVC bid, advancing to the Fab Four with wins over Virginia and UConn in the process. The squad finished with a 24-13 record and was led by unanimous All-BIG EAST Team honoree Erin Jones. The right-side hitter and setter earned AVCA All-North Region honors after pacing the team in points (596.5), kills (504), service aces (58), points per set (4.32), kills per set (3.65) and aces per set (0.42) and ranking second with 405 digs and 316 assists. She registered a BIG EAST record 11 triple-doubles along with 13 double-doubles. This will be the first meeting between the Red Storm and Big Orange.

Rider // September 18 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
Rider finished third in the MAAC standings last year, tallying a 14-4 conference mark and a 16-17 overall record. The Broncs will be led by a pair of all-conference performers in outside hitter Kiannisha Santiago and middle hitter Molly Rhode. Santiago was a first team pick after recording 350 kills, 144 digs and 101 blocks, while Rhode dominated at the net with 139 rejections – good for 1.28 blocks per set – to go along with 143 kills, 55 digs and 22 aces. This will be the first meeting between the Broncs and Tennessee.

Kennesaw State // September 19 // Knoxville // 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Vols round out non-conference play with a match against Kennesaw State, who finished last season with a 14-17 record and a 10-8 mark during its inaugural season in the CUSA. The Owls return first team all-conference selection Manu Johnsen at outside hitter. She had 454 kills and 38 aces as a junior in 2024 and averaged 3.79 kills and 4.33 points per set. Tennessee last played the Owls in 2014, taking the match in four sets.

Source: UT Sports
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ATHENS, Ga. – Arianna Rodi hit a pair of home runs to lift No. 14/12 South Carolina (40-14) past No. 20/16 Alabama (37-21) 6-2 Wednesday night (May 7) in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Rodi finished her night 3-for-4 with four RBIs and her first multi-home run game of the season. Karley Shelton and Ella Chancey both added two hits, while Chaney drove in two runs and Shelton scored three times.

Alabama jumped out in front in the first, scoring their only runs of the night. The Gamecocks fought back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first when Shelton scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Chancey.

In the third, Chancey again delivered with a double to right center, scoring Lexi Winters to tie the game.

Rodi broke the tie in the fifth. After a leadoff single by Shelton, Rodi connected on a 235-foot home run to left center. Later in the inning, Chancey knocked her second double of the night for the 200th hit of her career.

It was Rodi again in the sixth, connected on another two-run home run for her 16th of the season. The home run set a new single-season program record she held with Jana Johns (2019) and Alaynie Page (2015). She became the first Gamecock to hit two home runs in an SEC Tournament game. After Rodi’s home run, Winters stepped in a connected on her 100th career hit.

After Alabama scored in the top of the first, Sam Gress and Jori Heard combined to allow only two base runners over the final six innings, retiring 16 of the last 18 batters. Heard (16-3) earned the win in relief, allowing one hit and striking out four in three innings. Gress tossed the first four innings, scattering four hits and a strikeout.

Carolina will face No. 2 seed Texas A&M tomorrow at approximately 8 p.m.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri track & field will be split this weekend between the Billy Hayes Invite in Bloomington, Ind. and the Sycamore Open in Terre Haute, Ind., Friday May 9th.

The athletes competing at the Billy Hayes Invite will be Clara Billing, Brianna Dixon, Madelyn Gray, Tyler Anderson, Colin Beers, Luke Busateri, Sullivan Gleason, Luke Hatfield Jackson, Kenyon Johnson, Cole Reinders, and Justin Splitt. The field events begin at noon with the women’s hammer and the track events begin at 4:00 p.m. with the 110m hurdles.

The throwers attending the Sycamore Open are Paden Lewis, Jehchys Brown, Clay Alewelt, Josiah Kilgore, Ava Dumke, Kennedy Zgaynor, Andreese Ortiz, and Makenzie Williams. The field events are scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. with the women’s javelin. 

Where We Rank

For each individual event the top 48 performances will be accepted into the NCAA regional which is broken up into East and West. For each relay event, the top 24 relay teams will be accepted into the competition. The top 24 performances in the combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon) are accepted directly into the Championships. 

The sport is broken up into nine regions, SEMO is in the Midwest Region which includes all the Division One schools from Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Southeast has four marks ranked in the top 50 of the country,  marks ranked in the top 26 in the midwest, 15 marks ranked first in the OVC, and 49 performances in the top five in the Ohio Valley Conference.

In the high jump, Luke Hatfield Jackson is ranked 15th in the NCAA, third in the Midwest and first in the OVC, achieving a mark of 7′ 1.75″ at the Clark Wood Open. In the long jump, Hatfield Jackson ranks 10th in the region and first in the OVC with a distance of 24′ 7.25″.

Paden Lewis ranks 50th in the nation, 11th in the region, and first in the conference in the hammer throw with a distance of 212′ 1″ with the mark being achieved at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational. Lewis also ranks 13th in the region and first in the OVC in shot put with a mark of 60′ 3.75″. Lewis ranks 16th in the region and first in the conference in discus throwing a distance of 182′ 5″.

Anna Thomason ranks 34th in the nation, seventh in the region, and first in the OVC in the heptathlon, getting 5260 points at the Gibson Invitational. Thomason also ranks sixth in the Midwest and first in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.54. 

Brianna Dixon ranks 24th in the NCAA, ninth in the region, and first in the conference in the high jump, achieving a height of 5′ 10.75″ at the Memphis Tiger Invitational. She also ranks 19th in the Midwest in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.82. 

In the 400m, Sydney Burdine ran a 54.02 to be ranked 12th in the Midwest.

In the 10,000m, Noah Little ranks first in the OVC with a time of 30:27.11.

With a distance of 49′ 7.75″ Kenyon Johnson ranks 13th in the region, Luke Busateri ranks 16th (49′ 1.75″), and Aarion Jackson ranks 24th (47′ 9″)  in triple jump.

In the 400m hurdles Laila Hardin ran a 59.41 time to be ranked 12th in the Midwest and first in the OVC.

The mens and womens 4x100m teams rank 23rd (42.27) and 13th (45.85, 1st OVC) in the region. The men’s team consists of Moore, Bruenderman, Jackson, and Revels. The women’s team is run by Thomason, Burdine, Dwaah, and Lester.

The men’s 4x400m relay team of Primeau, Fuller, Splitt, and Mygatt combined for a time of 3:18.77, ranking 21st in the region. The women’s squad of Hardin, Dwaah, Burdine, and Lester crossed the line at 3:46.01 to be ranked 21st in the Midwest Region.

Collin Beers cleared a height of 16′ 6″ in pole vault, earning 22nd in the regional rankings and Sullivan Gleason vaulted over a height of 16′ 7.25″ for 20th in the region.

15th in the region and first place in the OVC women’s pole vault rankings is held by Clara Billing, who cleared a height of 13′ 8.5″.

In the hammer throw Makenzie Williams threw for a distance of 189′ 5″ to take 21st in the region and first place in the Ohio Valley Conference rankings. Williams also ranks 19th in the region in discus with a distance of 160′ 11″.

Andreese Ortiz ranks 18th in the region in discus, throwing a distance of 161′ 5″

Josiah Kilgore ranks 15th in the region and first in the conference in javelin throwing for a distance of 197′ 2″.

Throwing for a distance of 144′ 0″, Kennedy Zgaynor ranks 24th in the Midwest and first in the conference in javelin.

Team Rankings

The Southeast Missouri men’s track and field team is ranked 152nd in the nation with 1.50 points coming from Luke Hatfield Jackson’s high jump (7′ 0.5″) and Paden Lewis’ hammer throw mark of 212′ 1″ and shot put of 60′ 1″.

The Southeast Missouri women’s track and field team is ranked 157th in the nation with 0.70 points coming from Anna Thomason’s 5260 points in heptathlon. 

The men’s team is ranked 18th in the Midwest Region with 103.09 total points and first in the conference with 1,115.14 points, ahead of Little Rock with 1,114.89 points.

The men’s squad teams that are ranked in the top 50 in the nation are the discus team (39th), high jump (33rd), long jump team (35th), and the shot put team (33rd).

The women’s team is ranked 20th in the Midwest Region with 91.76 total points and first in the OVC with 1,081.54 points, ahead of Little Rock in second with 934.87 points.

The women’s squad teams that are ranked in the top 50 in the nation are the hammer throw team (24th), the javelin team (38th), and the shot put team (44th). 

Weekly Awards

Paden Lewis claimed his second OVC Outdoor Male athlete of the week this week. Lewis notched two first place finishes in the Shot Put and Discus. In the shot put Lewis threw to the distance of 60′ 3.50″and in the discus throw had a mark of 182′ 5.00″. Lewis currently ranks 54th in the nation in the shot put, first in the OVC, and third overall in the SEMO record books. His Discus throw this past weekend earned him a new personal best that pushed him to 73rd in the NCAA, 1st in the OVC, and 3rd in the SEMO records.

Brianna Dixon won the OVC female field athlete of the week, her first OVC outdoor award of the season. This past weekend Dixon continued to rewrite the SEMO record books and broke her own high jump record with a jump of 5′ 10.75″. That jump puts her at 25th in the NCAA and first in the OVC.

Andreese Ortiz records her first career OVC Outdoor of the week award winning Female Freshman of the week. Ortiz posted a fourth place finish in the shot put 42′ 1.00″ and 11th in the discus 140′ 9″. Her discus throw was a new personal best and she now ranks second in the OVC. 

Looking Ahead

After this weekend track & field hosts the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships at the Abe Stuber Track Complex.