Sports

Vandals Close Outdoor Regular Season With Strong Weekend

Published

8 months ago

May 5, 2025

MOSCOW, Idaho – Three Vandals claimed first at the Oregon State High Performance, as Idaho moved up in the Big Sky rankings on the Vandals’ final meet weekend of the 2025 outdoor regular season.

“It was another successful weekend for our crews as we closed out the regular season in Oregon and Arizona,” Director of Track and Field Tracy Hellman said. “At Oregon State, the steeplers all set personal bests and improved their standing in the NCAA West Regional.”

Katja Pattis grabbed the top spot in the women’s 3K steeplechase with a career-best 10:04.33, the fifth-best time in the Big Sky and the second fastest in Idaho history. Constanze Paoli followed in third, as the sophomore also set a career-best in the event, a 10:18.09. Paoli now finds herself in the seventh spot in the Big Sky rankings. Pattis and Paoli now look to be set to compete in the NCAA West Regional later this month. Pattis’ time places her 18th on the qualifying list, as Paoli holds the 37th position. The top 48 in each event will clinch a spot in the West Regional held in College Station, Texas, at the end of May. Abigail Thomas also set a personal best on Friday, a 10:43.88 mark that places her 12th in the conference.

The Vandals swept the shot put titles in Corvallis, with Noah Culbertson and Mia Sylvester each on the top step of the podium. Culbertson’s 17.41-meter throw is his longest of 2025 and the fifth longest in the Big Sky this season. Sylvester also placed third in the discus after a throw of 43.51 meters, her longest since April of 2023. Additionally, the junior set a season-best in the hammer throw and is now one of only two athletes in the conference to hold a top-15 spot in the women’s hammer, discus, and shot put.

At the Desert Heat Classic, Jana Willems tied her career-best in the 100, improving on her previous season best by nearly two tenths. Blossom Omogor set an outdoor career best in the 400, racing to a time of 54.81, less than a tenth off the 25-year-old school record.

Three more Vandals found their way into the Big Sky top six in the high jump, as Dante Cox jumped over 2 meters for the first time in his outdoor career to finish eighth in Tucson. On the women’s side, Annika Jozin set her career best at 1.74 meters, and freshman Cami Cvitkovic leaped to 1.69 meters. Jozin is just the 12th Vandal woman to jump over the 1.70-meter mark.

Rhyan Madden and Lara Holzhauer both ran career-bests in the 400-meter hurdles, with both claiming top-11 spots in the Big Sky. They both finished just behind Franziska Stoehr, who’s season-best time of 1:00.29 is less than half a second off her career-best of 59.86, the fifth-fastest 400-meter hurdles time in school history. Stoehr now holds the sixth fastest time in the conference this season.

“Our jumpers and 400 hurdlers had nice improvements in their respective events and continue to improve their standing for Big Sky championships,” Hellman said. “We now turn our attention to the Big Sky championships and are motivated to hit our best physical and mental performance in Sacramento in 2 weeks.”

Idaho will take a week off before traveling to Sacramento, California, for the 2025 Big Sky Outdoor Championships beginning on May 14.

Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho Track and Field by following the team on Instagram, @IdahoTrack.

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Sports

Cedar Rapids wrestler chases her dream, from a volleyball player to a young star in the sport

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – When Maggie Peters is home, she’s locked in.

She lifts weights at a gym in her hometown of Cedar Rapids. But it’s not just for strength – it’s for safety.

“One things goes wrong, and you’ve got people’s lives in your hands,” she said. “I mean, you don’t want to drop somebody on their head.”

But more often than not, Peters is on the road. Her sport is professional wrestling.

She’s performed performed in front of thousands in arenas and on television. Her fights may be scripted, but her dream of reaching WWE is real.

Peters has a background in volleyball, playing at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Kirkwood Community College and Mount Mercy. But her dream has always been in the wrestling ring.

“I wanted to do it right when I started watching I wanna say I was eight or nine I would just go wrestle on my trampoline,” Peters said.

She went from the volleyball court at Mount Mercy to a wrestling school in Davenport.

“We would have a show on a Thursday night, so I would leave class early,” said Peters. “But at that point, I will say, my senior year was my worst year of school. Once I got the wrestling training done, I was like, ‘ooh, this is what I want to do.’”

In professional wrestling, the winner and loser are predetermined, unlike traditional sports.

“Pro wrestling, I will say, is like a dance,” Peters said.

But there’s nothing fake about the pain wrestlers endure, what they call “bumps.”

“Any time you get put down on the mat, you’re taking a bump. You’re hitting the top of your back,” Peters said. “Higher on your neck, sometimes, (is) not good.”

Maggie wrestles in independent shows across the Midwest under the ring name Maggie Lee. She also performs in front of thousands in TNA Wrestling as the villainous character “M By Elegance.”

“Yeah, I do like being the bad guy,” Peters said. “I’ve worked a mix of both the bad guy and the good guy on the independents. But everybody was like, ‘you look more like you as the bad guy.’ I was like, ‘gee, thanks,” Peters said.

TNA – Total Nonstop Action – is high-level televised professional wrestling, one step below WWE.

“I actually really love the whole TV aspect. It’s very organized. Being able to see myself on TV is really cool,” Peters laughed.

Maggie hopes a full-time contract with WWE is next. She’s banking on it, writing a card to her mother labeled “open when I’m in the WWE.”

“And it was one of many letters. I made them for her birthday,” Peters said.

When asked about the letter’s contents, Peters said she doesn’t remember what she wrote as a girl.

“I don’t even remember what’s in it, so I’m kind of like scared,” she said. “When she does open it, I feel like it’s going to be a big deal and I might get embarrassed.”

Sometimes she’s flying high, sometimes she’s taking bumps.

Either way, she’s racing towards her dream.

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Sports

Men’s Volleyball vs Jessup on 1/6/2026 – Box Score

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

—

UCSD subs: Chandler, Luke; Stewart, Tyler; Hornyak, Ethan.

—

JU subs: Petesch, Riley.

0-1

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

1-1

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Henning, Owen (from Marks, Colin).

1-2

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

2-2

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Knudsen, Jacob (from Marks, Colin).

2-3

[Henning, Owen] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

3-3

[Wiemelt, Leo] Kill by Knudsen, Jacob (from Marks, Colin).

3-4

[Depue, Carter] Service error.

UCSD

4-4

[Luers, John] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Colin).

4-5

[Knudsen, Jacob] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

5-5

[Ewert, Josh] Kill by Lopuch, Jan (from Marks, Colin).

6-5

[Osahon Jr., Clement] Kill by Henning, Owen.

6-6

[Osahon Jr., Clement] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

7-6

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by Marks, Colin (from Lopuch, Jan).

7-7

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

7-8

[Pravednikov, Leo] Attack error by Depue, Carter (block by Wiemelt, Leo; Luers, John).

UCSD

7-9

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wiemelt, Leo).

UCSD

8-9

[Pravednikov, Leo] Bad set by Luers, John.

8-10

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

UCSD

8-11

[Sani, Sebastiano] Service ace (Marks, Logan).

UCSD

9-11

[Sani, Sebastiano] Service error.

9-12

[Henning, Owen] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

9-13

[Wiemelt, Leo] Attack error by Osahon Jr., Clement (from Marks, Colin).

UCSD

10-13

[Wiemelt, Leo] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

10-14

[Depue, Carter] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

11-14

[Luers, John] Service error.

12-14

[Knudsen, Jacob] Kill by Osahon Jr., Clement.

12-15

[Knudsen, Jacob] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

13-15

[Ewert, Josh] Kill by Lopuch, Jan (from Marks, Colin).

13-16

[Osahon Jr., Clement] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

—

UCSD subs: Hornyak, Ethan.

UCSD

13-17

[Hornyak, Ethan] Kill by Wiemelt, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

14-17

[Hornyak, Ethan] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Colin).

14-18

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

UCSD

15-18

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Henning, Owen (from Marks, Colin).

—

JU subs: Mueller, Jonas.

16-18

[Lopuch, Jan] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (block by Depue, Carter; Henning, Owen).

17-18

[Lopuch, Jan] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (block by Depue, Carter; Henning, Owen).

18-18

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Logan).

18-19

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

19-19

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Mueller, Jonas (from Marks, Colin).

20-19

[Henning, Owen] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Colin).

20-20

[Henning, Owen] Service error.

—

UCSD subs: Stewart, Tyler; Chandler, Luke.

UCSD

21-20

[Stewart, Tyler] Attack error by Chandler, Luke (block by Depue, Carter; Mueller, Jonas; Osahon Jr., Clement).

22-20

[Depue, Carter] Attack error by Selcho, Peter (block by Osahon Jr., Clement).

23-20

[Depue, Carter] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

23-21

[Depue, Carter] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

23-22

[Luers, John] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Ewert, Josh).

UCSD

24-22

[Luers, John] Kill by Lopuch, Jan (from Marks, Colin).

25-22

[Knudsen, Jacob] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (block by Marks, Colin).

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Sports

Former CU volleyball star Sis Tebrake glad to be back in Omaha

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

OMAHA (KMTV) — She might have a new name, but Norah (Sis) Tebrake still brings the same infectious smile to the court.

The former CU volleyball star is now married to former Creighton baseball standout Dylan Tebrake.

“He’s always encouraging me and challenging me,” said Norah. “And I try to do the same for him. I think it’s such a cool dynamic.”

After spending her first pro season helping Orlando to a league title, Norah had now returned to Omaha to play for the Supernovas. But returning to her hometown actually did take some getting used to again.

“I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold,” Tebrake said. “But now coming back after spending just one winter away, I feel like I can’t handle the cold.”

Along with reuniting with some former Bluejays, Tebrake has also formed friendships with her former rivals and now current teammates, including ex-NU star Merritt Beason.

“She’s just so joyful and leads with so much grace and so much love,” said Beason. “You can see that in her play. She’s one of the best people that I’ve ever met and it’s been so fun getting to know her.”

“To have people that know just kind of what makes you tick and what you need on the court and off the court is super helpful,” Tebrake said. “Obviously we’re all learning that about each other but just to come in knowing that there’s people that already know that about me has been super comforting.”

The Novas host San Diego in the season opener on Thursday at 7 PM at CHI Health Center.

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Sports

South Shore High School Girls Volleyball All-Scholastics for 2025

Published

3 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 7, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET

After a strong 2024 fall season, high school girls volleyball on the South Shore had an even better one in 2025.

There were two local state-championship-winning teams on the court this year. Oliver Ames finished off the best season in program history by winning it’s first-ever Division 2 state title in it’s second ever appearance (which came last season). On the same day, East Bridgewater followed that up with a program-first of their own, winning it’s first-ever Division 4 state championship in it’s first appearance.

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Sports

Who is the volleyball player of the year in the Montgomery area, vote

Published

3 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 7, 2026, 4:05 a.m. CT

The high school volleyball season in the Montgomery area ended in late October with two area teams making pushes for state finals in Class 4A and 5A.

Prattville Christian and Montgomery Catholic ultimately fell short in the respective title matches, but it highlighted what was a successful season in the Montgomery area.

What made the high school volleyball season successful in the Montgomery area was the talent on the court.

With the calendar year turning to 2026, the Montgomery Advertiser wants to hear from the readers on which player is the best in the Montgomery area. Voting will last through Jan. 14 till noon.

2025 Montgomery area volleyball player of the year nominees

Joi McGuire, Montgomery Catholic

McGuire recorded 448 kills in the 2025 season despite the fact that she’s considered undersized at her position at 5-foot-6. McGuire was a well-rounded player on the court, not only did she chip in on the offensive side, but she contributed 512 digs on the season.

Kaci Armistead, Montgomery Academy

Armistead reached the milestone of 1,000-career digs and broke the school record in the 2025 season. Her defensive expertise led to 648 digs and 70 assists on the year. From the serving line, Armistead landed 108 aces to round out her performance.

Baylee Rogers, Prattville Christian

Rogers became the first player in school history to record 5,000 assists, landing on the AHSAA leaderboard at sixth in career assists. In the 2025 season alone, Rogers contributed 1,247 assists along with three other state lines that touched triple digits.

Elaisa Vazquez, Pike Road

As a setter, Vazquez checked all the boxes necessary in the 2025 season, grabbing 405 assists and 206 digs. Vazquez chipped in on the scoreboard with 48 kills and 26 aces, winning Pike Road’s Hard Hat award for the 2025 season.

Ellie Causey, Trinity Presbyterian

Causey played her role as a setter for the Wildcats very well, notching 890 assists and 283 digs in the 2025 season. Causey brought her career totals to 1978 assists, 525 digs, 140 aces and 121 kills.

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Sports

Asya Akbulut Signs with Vikings Ahead of 2026 Season

Published

3 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State volleyball program added an experienced setter to its 2026 roster in Asya Akbulut Tuesday.

Akbulut, a native of Ankara, Turkey, will be a senior for the Vikings this coming fall after spending her first three years at Southern Utah (one year) and Eastern Arizona (two years).

Akbulut led Southern Utah with 5.0 assists per set last season when she ranked seventh in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the category. As a sophomore at Eastern Arizona, Akbulut averaged 5.16 assists and 0.42 aces per set when she was named to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference D1 All-Region First Team.

“Asya has the experience and skills to have an impact on our program immediately,” Portland State head volleyball coach Michael Seemann said. “She has reliable hands and location and understands how to put her hitters in good situations.”

Akbulut joins a setter group that includes returning starter Ava Blascziek and junior Elisabeth Levick.

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