ALTHOUGH HER MOM and grandma ran track, Samirah Moody didn’t take up the sport until eighth grade and wasn’t a serious runner until midway through high school.

“Surprising, huh?” the winner said. “Some people tell me, ‘Oh, I’ve been doing track since I was so little.’ That was not my experience.”

Being a latecomer has its perks.

“I just feel really fresh,” Moody said. “I feel like I’m just learning every day.”

Going into the NCAAs, the USC senior knew she should work on leaning in practice.

“You’ve got to prepare for the fire,” she said. “You know everyone’s fast.”

With an extra burst in the final 10m and, yes, a lean, Moody won by 0.003, edging fiery-haired South Carolina soph JaMeesia Ford.

Both clocked 11.14 against a 1.4 wind — with Moody’s time 11.136. Tima Godbless of LSU was 3rd followed by Florida’s Anthaya Charlton, the 5th-place finisher in the long jump and younger sister of Devyn, the WR holder in the indoor 60H. Both posted 11.19, with Godbless ahead by 0.006.

A year ago, Moody was undergoing knee surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus. “It’s been a bumpy road,” she said, noting her comeback revolved around “keeping the faith and showing up when it counts.”

Moody was 5th in the 60 at the Indoor and said she felt like herself again at the beginning of the outdoor season. “I had gone through the adversity prior to today, so this was a walk in the park.”

Just 50 minutes after the Women of Troy dominated the 4×1, Moody, who ran leadoff leg, was back on the starting line alongside teammates Dajaz Defrand and Brianna Selby.

Moody said the relay was about tradition, but “the 100 was really for me.”

In the heats, Moody posted a PR of 10.93 — well under her previous best of 11.02 — behind Charlton, who grabbed all of the attention with a PR of 10.87, the collegiate lead and No. 8 all-time collegiate mark. Ford, who dropped down this season from the 200/400 to the 100/200, also clocked 10.87 in the third heat. Godbless, who came in as the list leader at 10.91, equaled that time in her heat while placing 2nd behind Leah Bertrand of Ohio State, who also ran 10.91.

The final began with a false start, although no one was disqualified. The field ran 10–15m before they were called back.

After the restart, Moody was out well in lane 3 although Victoria Cameron of Tarleton State moved into the early lead from lane 1. Moody overtook Cameron, then held off Ford, whose 200 strength — she would go on to win that event later in the day — propelled her in the later stages.

Moody was confident the race was hers. “I kind of took a peek at like 60,” she said. “I was like ‘Alright, I’m in the clear; I’ve just got to keep pushing.’ I crossed the line screaming, so I knew.”

WOMEN’S 100 RESULTS

FINAL (June 14; wind –1.4)

1. Samirah Moody (USC) 11.14 (11.136);

2. **JaMeesia Ford (SC) 11.14 (11.139);

3. **Tima Godbless’ (LSU-Ngr) 11.19;

4. *Anthaya Charlton’ (Fl-Bah) 11.19;

5. Leah Bertrand’ (OhSt-Tri) 11.21;

6. *Shenese Walker’ (FlSt-Jam) 11.23;

7. *Dajaz Defrand (USC) 11.23;

8. ***Brianna Selby (USC) 11.25;

9. **Victoria Cameron (Tarl) 11.30.

SEMIS (June 12)

I(1.4)–1. Charlton’ 10.87 PR (6, 8 C);

2. Moody 10.93 PR; 3. Walker’ 11.06; 4. *Jassani Carter (USC) 11.22; 5. ***Indya Mayberry (TCU) 11.24; 6. ***Reign Redmond (Ga) 11.30; 7. ***Kelly Ufodiama (ECar) 11.41; 8. **Jade Brown (Az) 11.43.

II(2.2)–1. Bertrand’ 10.91w; 2. Godbless’ 10.91w; 3. Cameron 11.06w; 4. *Jasmine Montgomery (TxAM) 11.07w; 5. Iyana Gray (TCU) 11.20w; 6. *Camryn Dickson (TxAM) 11.20w; 7. Kailei Collins (How) 11.28w; 8. **Cynteria James (SC) 11.39w.

III(1.6)–1. Ford 10.87 PR (=6, =8 C);

2. Defrand 10.93 PR;

3. Selby 11.01 PR (=7, x AJ);

4. Alicia Burnett (Mo) 11.11; 5. *Kaila Jackson (Ga) 11.15; 6. ***London Tucker (TCU) 11.26; 7. ***Aniyah Kitt (Clem) 11.31; 8. Joella Lloyd’ (FlSt-Ant) 11.43.

LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Some young volleyball players at Lima Central Catholic got the chance to learn from former champions on Friday.

The “Thunderbird Legacy” camp brought back members of LCC’s 2007 state championship team to help teach skills to students in grades five through eight. The clinic was led by players from that title-winning squad and their former head coach, David Franklin. The focus was on building foundational skills and emphasizing teamwork.

“We always talked about giving back,” Franklin said. “We wanted to leave something—we were always talking about that: leave a tradition. This is a chance for us to give back and get together.”

Franklin said he hopes the camp becomes an annual tradition to develop future players and keep the Thunderbird legacy alive.

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball program is proud to announce the addition of Mark Lucas to the Bombers coaching staff as an assistant coach, as announced by head coach Tara Stilwell ’19 on Monday, June 16.
 
“I’m incredibly excited to welcome Mark to the Bomber family,” said Stilwell. “He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to our program. This is a unique opportunity to work alongside someone with his level of expertise, and I believe Mark will help us reach new heights.”
 
Lucas joins the Bombers with over two decades of coaching experience, most recently serving as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford during the 2024 season.
 
“I’m incredibly excited to be part of a program with such a lasting tradition of success,” said Lucas. “During the interview process, I felt incredibly welcomed by the team and staff, and I am eager to get into the gym and contribute to the team’s continued success.”
 
Over the course of his coaching career, Lucas has mentored 27 all-conference selections. He returns to the Finger Lakes region after an eight-year tenure as head coach at nearby Wells College, where he was named the 2017 North Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. With the women’s program, he compiled a 100–105 overall record and a 41–27 mark in conference play. He also led the men’s team during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, posting a 40–21 record, including an 18–6 conference record, while reaching the conference final during both seasons.
 
Lucas also brings international coaching experience, having led the men’s volleyball program at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Kyoto, Japan. Under his leadership, the team achieved a 73–65 record and captured three Regional Division Championships. During his time in Japan, Lucas also competed as a player for the Matsugasaki Club Team from 2008 to 2013, helping secure two Sakyo-ku League Championships.
 
A 1991 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Lucas earned his degree in Biomedical Computing. He later received a master’s degree in Education and a second bachelor’s degree in Theatre from SUNY Brockport.
 

The new World Aquatics Championships Arena (WCH Arena) is ready to welcome the world’s elite aquatics athletes for the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 from July 11-Aug. 3.

The 4,800-seater purpose-built facility, located next to Leisure Park Kallang at the Singapore Sports Hub, was officially unveiled this morning. Construction of the WCH Arena was overseen by Kin Productions, the Official Venue Overlay Planning Services Partner for the WCH 2025. The venue will be powered by Singtel, the WCH 2025’s Official Network Connectivity Partner, delivering world-class connectivity through advanced 5G+ infrastructure. The system, utilizing network slicing technology, provides dedicated high-performance network segments tailored to the unique needs of organizers, media, security, and logistics teams.

WCH Arena will host swimming and artistic swimming competitions during the Championships,
as well as stage the World Aquatics Masters Championships’ swimming and water polo events from 26 July-22 August. Ahead of the Championships, the WCH Arena will first host the artistic swimming and swimming competitions for the Southeast Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships between 20 and 27 June. Other events will also be staged across two other locations, the OCBC Aquatic Centre and Sentosa (Palawan Green).

Mark Chay, co-chair of the Singapore 2025 organizing committee, said: “We are delighted to unveil the WCH Arena, a venue designed to unite and inspire the entire aquatics community.

Featuring two pools, 4,800 seats and dedicated community spaces, the venue is suitable for hosting competitions across all levels of sport. Young aquatics athletes from Southeast Asia will inaugurate the WCH Arena, followed by the professional athletes competing in the World Aquatics Championships and our Masters athletes participating in the World Aquatics Masters Championships – ensuring aquatics remain accessible and inclusive for all. Months of planning and collaboration has gone into preparation for this event. On behalf of the organising committee, I extend our deepest appreciation to all partners and agencies who have worked tirelessly to deliver this world-class event. We also want to thank Kin Productions for their professionalism and welcome onboard Singtel as our valued National Partner. ”

Ko Chee Wah, Chairman of Kin Productions, said, “Kin Productions is proud to have contributed to the development of an iconic sport venue in Singapore. The WCH Arena project required innovation and collaboration with technical experts and key stakeholders at World Aquatics and Sports Singapore, and execution. This has been a milestone not just for Kin Productions but also for Singapore as a host nation.”

Ng Tian Chong, CEO Singtel Singapore, “We are proud to support the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 as its official connectivity partner. As a leading global pioneer in 5G and network slicing, we’ll be providing seamless, secure and high-performance connectivity across multiple competition venues, including the brand-new World Aquatics Championships Arena which required setting up from the ground up for optimal connectivity. From the scoring system to media transfers for the press, Singtel’s 5G+ network will provide real-time, reliable connections for the media, officials and the athletes from more than 190 countries. Our commitment to innovation and reliability ensures that every moment — from the thrilling victories to behind-the-scenes stories — can be shared instantly and enjoyed across the globe.”

The World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, will feature over 2,500 athletes expected to
compete in 77 medal events across six aquatic sports – swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, diving, high diving and open water swimming. For the first time, the World Aquatics Masters Championships will take place concurrently. To date, close to 6,000 athletes aged 25 and above have registered for the World Aquatics Masters Championships which will feature five aquatic sports – swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, diving and open water swimming. Registration is open until 26 June 2025.

Spectators who are keen to catch the world’s top aquatics athletes in action are encouraged to secure their tickets as soon as possible. Tickets have been selling fast since they went on sale in April with some sessions such as diving and swimming, showing limited availability. Don’t miss the chance to witness potential record-breaking times, spectacular athleticism, artistry and duels in the pool. Tickets are available at www.worldaquatics-singapore2025.com/tickets.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with World Aquatics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.