AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta University men’s track & field placed 14 student-athletes on the 2024-25 Peach Belt Conference Team of Academic Distinction, presented by Barnes & Noble College. The list includes sophomores Gabriel Best, Michael Chatman, Eli Corn, and Michael Meriweather; juniors Joseph Elbert, Andrew Helfers, Noah Shepherd, and Shahzeb Rashid; and seniors Avery Jaynes, Ryan Lee, Brandon Martin, Matthew Moore, Patrick Motes, and Andrew Todd. All were recognized across the league for their academic excellence and contributions in competition.

Best, from Peachtree City, Ga., is an Accounting major with a 3.87 GPA. Chatman holds a 3.90 GPA in Cybersecurity, while Corn, from Dallas, Ga., is majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology with a 3.95 GPA. Meriweather, a Biology major from Augusta, Ga., owns a 3.51 GPA.

Elbert, from Dallas, Ga., carries a 3.96 GPA in Cybersecurity. Helfers, a Kinesiology major from Newnan, Ga., holds a 3.59 GPA. Shepherd, from Midland, Ga., owns a 3.89 GPA in Kinesiology, and Rashid, from Hoschton, Ga., is majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology with a 3.82 GPA.

Jaynes, a Sport Management major from Brooklet, Ga., and Lee, a Cell and Molecular Biology major from Lilburn, Ga., both maintain a perfect 4.00 GPA. Martin, from Commerce, Ga., is majoring in Biology with a 3.64 GPA. Moore, from Newnan, Ga., holds a 4.00 GPA in Cybersecurity, while Motes, from Rome, Ga., carries a 4.00 GPA in Communication. Todd, a Kinesiology major from Lilburn, Ga., also holds a 4.00 GPA.

To be eligible for the PBC Team of Academic Distinction, student-athletes must compete in at least half of their team’s contests as a starter or significant contributor, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, and have completed at least one academic year at their current institution with sophomore athletic eligibility. The program is overseen by the league’s sports information directors and celebrates excellence in both the classroom and competition.

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can GIVE by clicking here. Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University Athletics at www.AugustaJags.com and receive updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Instagram @augustajags

CHELMSFORD, Mass. — A Massachusetts high school student arrested on his way to volleyball practice last weekend was scheduled to appear before an immigration judge Thursday.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, who came to the U.S. from Brazil at age 7, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday. Authorities have said the agents were looking for the Milford High School teenager’s father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time and had parked in a friend’s driveway.

The teen faced a hearing in immigration court in Chelmsford.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week that ICE officers were targeting a “known public safety threat” and that Gomes da Silva’s father “has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas.”

“While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes da Silva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,” she said in a statement.

Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, said his attorney, Robin Nice. She described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the school marching band and a band at his church.

A federal judge considering Gomes da Silva’s request to be released while his immigration case proceeds has given the government until June 16 to respond and has ordered that Gomes da Silva not be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice given to the court. The government sought permission Wednesday to move Gomes da Silva to a detention facility in a different New England state, Nice said, a move his lawyers opposed because they feared it would delay the immigration hearing. A judge quickly denied the request.

“I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It’s no family without him,” João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released Wednesday by his son’s attorney. “We love America. Please, bring my son back.”

Students at Milford High staged a walkout Monday to protest his detainment. Other supporters wore white and packed the stands of the high school gymnasium Tuesday night, when the volleyball team dedicated a match to their missing teammate.

By: Nick Kapatos

Leading up to the 2025 Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame and Golf Outing on Monday, June 9, GoHofstra.com will feature one of the six individuals being inducted in the Class of 2025. Today, former Hofstra volleyball student-athlete Kelsie Wills is featured.

The Class of 2025 includes: Kimberly Hillier (women’s lacrosse), Robert McKeon (extraordinary service to Hofstra athletics), Mike Miller (baseball), Michael Todd (men’s soccer), Kelsie Wills (volleyball), and Colonel E. David Woycik, Jr. (extraordinary service to Hofstra athletics).

The Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame and Golf Outing will take place at The Seawane Club in Hewlett Harbor, New York. You can contact the Athletic Development Office at (516) 463-4919 or prideclub@hofstra.edu for more information. 

A volleyball student-athlete from 2011 to 2014, Kelsie Wills is one of two All-Americans in program history. She was named an AVCA All-American to cap off a tremendous senior season that also saw her claim CAA Player of the Year honors after leading the conference and ranking 25th in the nation with 506 kills. Wills helped Hofstra to a CAA championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the second time in her storied career that season, matching the Pride’s 2012 accomplishments. A three-time All-CAA First Team honoree and CAA All-Rookie selection in 2011, Wills ranks first all-time at Hofstra and third all-time in CAA history in kills with 1,942. She is the only player in program history to record three 500-kill seasons and also stands 14th all-time at Hofstra in digs with 1,226. Wills was the 2012 CAA Volleyball Championship Most Outstanding Player and was a member of the All-CAA Championship Team in 2014.

Following graduation, Wills played professionally in Paris. She also represented her native New Zealand in beach volleyball, with partner Shaunna Polley, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. They were the nation’s first women’s beach volleyball team to compete at the Games. The pair also won a bronze medal at the Ulsan Open in South Korea on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. Wills left volleyball to play rugby in 2019 and has represented New Zealand in international competition and played professionally for the Chiefs Manawa squad.

 

Gallery: (5-30-2025) Kelsie Wills-Hall of Fame Spotlight

Howard University Women’s Track & Field is headed to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships as the leading HBCU, qualifying for four events.

Howard 4×100 Relay Team Advances with Season Best

Graduates Kailei Collins (Houston) and Marcia Sey (London, U.K.), senior Tiffani-Rae Pittman (Bowie, Md.), and sophomore Aiyana Gray-Williams (Winston-Salem, N.C.) qualified in the 4×100-meter relay. The team clocked a season-best 43.86 to automatically secure their spot in Eugene, Oregon.

Sey and Collins Punch Individual Tickets

Marcia Sey qualified individually in the 100-meter hurdles with an impressive 12.99-second finish, earning an automatic bid.

Kailei Collins also secured an individual spot. She clocked 11.21 seconds in the 100-meter dash, qualifying with a non-AQ time. Collins competed in the 200-meter dash but missed advancing.