SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University men’s water polo program will welcome eight new student-athletes to the roster for the 2025 season. The incoming class features a strong mix of high-level high school, club, and international experience across multiple positions.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome this incoming class of freshmen to the Santa Clara men’s water polo program,” said head coach Keith Wilbur. “This group contains a great combination of experience, work ethic, and character. They bring with them a wide variety of backgrounds, whether they are from strong high school and club programs, or have played at high levels internationally.”
 
Among the newcomers is Ashton Brown, a 6-foot-4 center from Sydney and one of the country’s top youth players. Brown brings a decorated background to the program. A product of St. Augustine’s College and the Sydney University Water Polo Club, he is a three-time national champion at the club level and represented Australia at both the 2022 FINA U16 and 2024 FINA U18 World Championships. He trained with the senior national team in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics and was the top scorer in multiple national title runs. Brown captained his high school team and was named MVP every year from 2017–24.
 
Jamie de Zwart, a 6-foot-7 utility player from League City, Texas, helped lead Clear Creek High School to a perfect 32-0-1 season and a 2024 District 11-6A UIL state championship. He was named state MVP and earned multiple All-District and All-Region honors. De Zwart also competed at the 2024 Junior Olympics and was part of the 2023 USA Olympic Development Program National and Regional Team (Southwest Zone). He carries a 4.14 GPA with AP and honors coursework.
 
Beck Early, a 5-foot-10 attacker from Newport Beach, Calif., competed for JSerra Catholic High School, helping the team to three straight Trinity League titles, a 2023 CIF-SS Open Division championship, and three consecutive CIF SoCal Division I Regional championships. He earned second team All-Trinity League and third team All-CIF-SS Open Division honors in 2024. Early also took home second and third place finishes at the Junior Olympics in the 16U and 18U divisions.
 
Dylan Hazen joins the Broncos from Mater Dei High School in Huntington Beach, Calif. A 6-foot, 190-pound attacker, Hazen was a first team All-Trinity League selection and earned Open Division third team All-CIF honors. He was a team captain as a senior and a four-time recipient of the Outstanding Academic Award. At the club level, Hazen is a Junior Olympics champion in both the Classic and Gold divisions, a member of the U20 Canadian National Team, and a three-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American.
 
Ryland Pierce, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound goalie from College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, Calif., was a two-time Diablo Athletic League MVP Goalie and a first team All-North Coast Section selection. He helped his club team win a bronze medal at the 2024 Junior Olympics.
 
Mikhail Popov, Pierce’s high school teammate, is a 6-foot, 195-pound attacker who played four years on the College Park varsity squad. Popov set school records in goals, steals, and exclusions drawn, was a three-time first team All-Diablo Athletic League honoree, a two-time team MVP, and earned All-North Coast Section first team honors in 2024. He won silver at the 2024 ODP National Championship and earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Junior Olympics.
 
Imme van der Schaaf, an attacker from Veldhoven, Netherlands, brings international experience to the class. Van der Schaaf represented the Netherlands at the U18 World Championship (2022), U17 European Championship (2023), and U19 European Championship (2024). He led the Dutch U17 league in scoring in 2022–23 and helped his team to a second-place national finish.
 
Hank Woodman, a 6-foot-2 utility player from Winnetka, Ill., is a two-time Illinois state champion from New Trier Township High School. He was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and Team MVP in 2024. A four-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American and team captain, Woodman trained in Greece (2022), Hungary (2023), and Serbia (2024), and helped SoCal Black to a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Junior Olympics.
 
“We believe this group has the potential to make an immediate impact on our program,” Wilbur said. “They are stepping into a competitive environment and are ready to contribute from day one as we continue building toward our goal of winning the WCC.”

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – The Kansas Track & Field team finished Day Three of the NCAA West Prelims, with Dimitrios Pavlidis qualifying to Eugene for NCAA Nationals. 

“D did a great job today. He stayed composed, executed the plan from the first throw, and very easily put himself in the position to advance and be seeded in the top flight in Eugene. It was exactly what you want to do in a qualifying round,” said Kansas Throws Coach Doug Reynolds.

Kansas’ day started with Greek International Record Holder Dimitrios Pavlidis qualifying for Nationals in the Men’s Discus with a throw of 62.00m. The Senior will look to build off of his 3rd-place finish last year at NCAA Nationals in the event. 

Pavlidis’ qualification for Nationals moves the total to eight Jayhawks that are heading to Eugene for the National Championship meet.

The Jayhawks will wrap up the final day at the NCAA West Prelims tomorrow, starting with Madeleine Fey & Sofia Sluchaninova in the Women’s Discus at 1 PM CT. In the Women’s Triple Jump the Jayhawks will have Kori Randle competing in the event at 2:30 PM CT. Mason Meinershagen will compete in the Women’s High Jump at 3:30 PM CT.

Emmaculate Jemutai will run in the Women’s 1500m Quarterfinals at 5:15 PM CT, Pearl Awanya will compete in the Women’s 400m at 6:50 PM CT, Aaliyah Moore will run in the Quarterfinals of the Women’s 800m at 7:05 PM CT, the the last event of the weekend for the Jayhawks will be the Women’s 4x400m Relay at 8:45 PM CT.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

Updates throughout the meet will be available on the Kansas Track and Field Instagram and X accounts. Fans who wish to watch the event will be able to stream the broadcast on ESPN+.

CJ Werneke coached for nearly three decades at the collegiate level before arriving to College Hill. (Photo courtesy of Columbia University Athletics)

Following a tumultuous 2024 season, the volleyball team is moving forward with a new head coach. CJ Werneke, who previously served as the associate head coach at Binghamton University, was named the next head coach of Lafayette College volleyball on May 23.

“I’m very excited, grateful and honored,” Werneke said. “What it means to me is an opportunity to elevate the program with our current players and see what we’re capable of.”

The team’s previous head coach, Christian Kiselica, resigned almost two months ago, with Werneke’s hiring concluding the search for the program’s next leader.

“CJ emerged from a deep applicant pool and brings a wealth of experience,” Director of Athletics Sherryta Freeman said in a statement for GoLeopards.

In addition to the past few years at Binghamton, Werneke’s career included stops at Columbia University, Rutgers University and Fairfield University, reaching nearly three decades of collegiate coaching experience.

Werneke’s longest stretch came at Rutgers from 2008 to 2019 during the program’s move from the Big East Conference to the American Athletic Conference and then to the Big Ten.

“Building programs, transforming programs into better programs, he has experience at a high level, which will definitely translate to our training,” rising sophomore outside hitter Destiny McKenzie said. “I feel like him having that Big Ten experience with bigger programs, more competition, it’ll just translate really well with us and have us compete better.”

With the Leopards coming off a 7-18 season, including a 2-14 record in Patriot League play and a losing streak in the double-digits, Werneke said that he would be looking to empower his players.

“When you give players a sense of purpose and value, I think that’s when you get the most out of them,” Werneke said.

McKenzie noted that Werneke had been setting up phone calls to get to know the team over the summer.

“For me personally, I was looking for a coach who could create an environment, a very competitive environment for not just me, but for the whole team,” McKenzie said. “Someone who could push us, who could drive us in a positive direction.”

In addition to the technical skill development, Werneke noted that he would be looking to foster a team of “intrinsically motivated” workers.

“You gotta have a lot of intangibles and a lot of emotion to play this sport,” he said. “The style of play is going to be fast and precise, we’re going to play with a lot of efficiency and then defensively, it’s all about heart and will.”

Looking towards the future of the program, Werneke cited recruitment as another method to bring out the “intangibles,” looking for leadership qualities outside of athletic skillset.

“The coach I am today wasn’t the coach I was at Fairfield at 28 years old, full of brim and vigor,” Werneke said. “Now, I’m a little bit more mature, know who I am, what I want, what the environment is, how to run a program successfully rather than just with energy.”

Philip LaBella, the director of athletic communications, declined to comment on behalf of Freeman.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – After helping Long Beach State Women’s Water Polo reach the Big West Championship finals for the second consecutive year, stars Elisa Portillo, Martina Cardona, and Chelsea Oliver were all named All-Americans, as announced by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) on Friday. 

Elisa Portillo was named to the Second Team All-America after leading the Beach offense with 109 points, combining 67 goals and 42 assists over the season. The junior currently ranks fifth in program history in goals scored, with 177. A Third Team All-American in 2023, the Spaniard becomes the third individual in Long Beach State history to earn Second Team honors, joining Lara Luka in 2024 and Cassie Azevedo in 2005 and 2006. 

Martina Cardona earned her third consecutive Honorable Mention All-America recognition after an impressive final season at the Beach. The senior led the team in goals with 70 and added 33 assists. During the season, Cardona was named to the Peter Cutino Award Watch List, which honors the best player in the country annually. After three years at the Beach, Cardona ranks in the program’s Top 10 in career goals, with 155. 

Goalkeeper Chelsea Oliver earned Honorable Mention All-America honors after a standout season. The senior recorded 224 saves, along with 29 steals and 12 assists. Oliver concluded her career at the Beach with 720 saves, ranking third in program history. She is just the second goalkeeper in Long Beach State history to earn All-America recognition. 

As expected, BYU’s Olympic steeplechaser, James Corrigan, advanced to the NCAA track and field championships during Friday’s NCAA West prelims in College Station, Texas.

Corrigan, who produced a time of 8:13.87 to qualify for last summer’s Olympic Games, ran just hard enough Friday to win his heat.

His time of 8:31.79 in the first of three heats was the fifth-fastest time overall. The top 12 in each event qualify for the national championships, which will be held in two weeks in Eugene, Oregon.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

Corrigan’s teammate, Luke Grundvig, also advanced in the 5,000-meter run, finishing 11th with a time of 13:34.63.

Two days earlier, teammates Joey Nokes and Creed Thompson finished 10th and 11th in the 10,000-meter run to qualify for nationals. They also competed in Friday’s 5,000-meter semifinals, finishing 16th and 20th, respectively.

BYU’s 4 x 400-meter relay team of Eli Hazlett, Josh Taylor, Jonah Heimuli and Trey Jackson qualified for nationals by placing eighth overall with a time of 3:03.65.

BYU’s freshman find, Tyler Mathews, finished 17th in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:48.13. Earlier this season he clocked a time of 1:46.19, second-fastest in school history.

Danny Bryant threw the discus a personal-record 189 feet, 1 inch, but placed 15th, two feet shy of a top 12 finish. Lucas Bons and Carter Cutting, meanwhile, failed to advance out of the quarterfinals in the 1,500-meter run.

One of the biggest surprises of the meet among Utah entries was the performance of Utah Valley’s 4 x 100 relay team of Gavin Stafford, Cameron Franklin, Kade Thompson and Gabe Remy. They finished second in their heat and eighth overall with a school-record time of 39.13.

UVU coach Paul Smith, a former BYU sprinter, has quietly built a strong sprint squad, qualifying sprinters for the NCAA prelims in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and the 4×100. His sprinters set school records in all four events this season.

BYU, which had posted a time of 39.78 this season, was disqualified in the 4 x 100.

While the men competed Friday, the women will take the stage on Saturday to conclude the four-day competition, and BYU has several outstanding entries.

Meghan Hunter, a senior from Provo, ran a school-record time of 1:58.99 in the Big 12 Conference championships two weeks ago, making her the third-fastest collegian ever.

Lexie Lowry, a senior from Meridian, Idaho, is the fifth-fastest collegian ever in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run. She will contest only the steeplechase in Saturday’s meet because there isn’t enough recovery time between events.

Sami Oblad, a senior from Stansbury Park, set a school record of 50.49 in the 400-meter dash earlier this season. She has the third-fastest time heading into Saturday’s NCAA quarterfinals.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — For the second year in a row, the St. Ignatius boys volleyball team is headed to the Division I state title game, after defeating St. Xavier in five sets on Friday afternoon at Wittenberg University.

St. Ignatius will take on Thomas Worthington at noon on Saturday. The Cardinals defeated New Albany Friday afternoon in three sets to earn their spot in the title game.

For the first time in the history of the OHSAA boys volleyball state semifinals (which began in 2023), a match was pushed to five sets. In the marathon match, it was the Wildcats that outlasted the Bombers in the final frame.

“I thought everyone on and team played amazing,” St. Ignatius coach Dominick Adornato said. “We followed our game plan to a tee, and we were able to pull it out.”

Giving the Bombers a fight from the start, the Wildcats dropped the first set of the match, 27-25, but battled back to win the next two sets in close battles.

The Bombers answered back by winning the fourth set, 25-16, to set the stage for the deciding fifth frame. The Wildcats won the deciding set 15-8.

“We went into every set, especially that fifth set, saying hey, just do your job,” Adornato said. “With them together, we’ll right the ship to the finish line. I feel in that fifth set especially we didn’t panic, we stayed on our game plan, and each guy did their jobs. They all had each other’s backs where it’s a team versus a few players on X’s side.

“That’s the difference, and it’s going to take a team to win the state title.”

Adornato said he was proud of the way his team came together for the moment and didn’t let the adversity get the best of them.

“We are never afraid of the moment, you live for this type of game,” Adornato said. “There’s never been a five-setter in the state semis of the OHSAA (tournament), so just being a part of it is great, and winning it is even better.”

Jack Ragon led the Wildcats with 24 kills, and Ethan Rossetti added 18. Andrew Brobby had 58 assists. Ragon, Brobby and Cristian Aguirre each had 12 digs.

The Wildcats now have a shot to put behind them what happened last year when the team fell in the title game. Adornato’s team has a new mindset for this year’s game, but are happy to have the experience of being in the championship match.

“It’s all about not having as last year as we are this year,” Adornato said. “Last year, we were happy to be there, we were prepared, and we were going into the game hoping we win the game. The difference this year is we really believe we’re going to win, and having that experience is incredible.”