STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — On Monday, Wagner College’s cross country/track and field program announced that longtime head coach, Joe Stasi, will officially be stepping down from his position after leading the team for 29 years.
Stasi helped transform Wagner into a consistently competitive program during his tenure on Grymes Hill, guiding his athletes to 12 NEC Championships, over 250 All-Conference selections and more than 110 school records.
One of Stasi’s crowning achievements as head coach came during the 2020–2021 seasons, when he led the Seahawk men to the NEC Triple Crown — capturing the 2020 indoor, 2021 cross country and 2021 outdoor titles — making Wagner the first program to accomplish the feat in the NEC since 2003.
But Wagner wasn’t always a force to be reckoned with considering the 2021 outdoor title was the first in program history for the men’s team. Stasi told the Advance/SILive that the beginning of his tenure was “a slow progression upward.”
“It’s been a process at Wagner. You can always look at the championships and the success that you had there, but I tell everyone that what’s kept me there were the student-athletes. I’ve had just a good group of student-athletes throughout the years,” Stasi said of what he’ll look back on most fondly.
To his point, it’s clear that the Wagner cross country/track program emphasized a wholistic collegeiate experience, as Stasi’s runners, jumpers and throwers achieved 13 NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognitions during his stretch as head coach.
“The kids were always focused on and off the track,” Stasi said of his athletes being dedicated to achieving excellence in the classroom as well as in their running careers.
“There’s a lot of stuff that you have to deal with as a college coach, but the kids being very focused in the classroom and kept me there for a lot of years,” he went on.
Members of the Track and Field team gather for a picture with coach Joe Stasi at the 2025 Wagner College Undergraduate Commencement ceremony held on Sutter Oval in Grymes Hill on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
In addition to preparing his athletes for success beyond graduation, Stasi continued to support those who pursued running after college — including Will Cuthbertson ’22, who went on to compete at the USATF Championships and the Olympic Trials.
“Coach Stasi has had a huge impact on the majority of my running career since graduating high school,” Cuthbertson said of the bond they share.
“He really got me to a place I needed to be in, and then he was super encouraging on me taking the next steps; he was also super helpful with me fundraising for an altitude training trip before going to USA’s. He’s just been one of my all around biggest supporters with running post-collegiately,” he went on.
Another Seahawk alum who ran under Stasi and has become a fixture in the Staten Island running community is Dominic Palermo ’24 — the recent runner-up at the SSG Ollis 5K and a key contributor to Wagner’s historic triple crown championship squad.
“Coach Stasi is one of the greatest coaches around,” Palermo said plainly.
“My favorite Stasi line will always be that ‘There’s no secrets to the sport;’ we knew what was expected of us every day and if we wanted to be great there were no shortcuts,” he continued.
Stasi’s impact also extends well beyond Wagner’s campus, as he helped mentor several coaches in the Staten Island running community — including Monsignor Farrell assistant Michael Ryan, former longtime St. Joseph Hill head coach JP Pablo and current Moore Catholic head coach Jason Paderon.
“The coaches on the Island are really phenomenal,” Stasi said of the borough’s running culture which he largely helped shape.
“I also ran on Staten Island when I was growing up; we wanted kids to know that the option was there to come to Wagner, but at the end of the day, I always wanted what was best for the borough’s athletes,” he humbly said of his positive feelings for the Island’s running scene as a whole.
Stasi doesn’t have any concrete plans to continue coaching elsewhere at the moment, as his full focus was to always “leave the team with a lot of talent and pass the baton onto the next person” who will guide the Seahawks’ track program.
Wagner cross country head coach, Joe Stasi, was named the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
“I always wanted to leave on a good note. We’re leaving on top, and I’m glad I’m leaving the program in a strong position,” Stasi said following the women’s team’s victory at the 2025 Outdoor NEC Championships.
Whether he was guiding athletes to record-breaking times on the track, pushing them to succeed in the classroom, or supporting their goals beyond graduation, one thing is clear: Stasi’s successor will have big shoes to fill.
MADISON, Wis. — In a surprising move on the volleyball court, Una Vajagic has announced that she is entering the transfer portal. This news is a stunner for Badger fans, as the sophomore ranked second on the team in kills and becomes the first Badger starter to leave since their national semifinal run.
Vajagic was expected to take on a larger role next season with the graduation of Mimi Colyer and Carter Booth. However, head coach Kelly Sheffield is already taking steps to replenish the roster, bringing in Florida’s Jaela Auguste, a Middle Blocker, and Eva Travis, an Outside Hitter from UC-Santa Barbara.
Looking ahead, there is promising news for Wisconsin volleyball. According to PrepDig, Wisconsin boasts the #1 recruiting class in the nation, incoming in 2026. This signals a bright future for the program despite the unexpected departure of Vajagic.
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PRINCETON, N.J. – The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the EIVA preseason poll, announced Monday. Mason Rice and Ryan Vena were named EIVA preseason players to watch.
With 26 points, Princeton is fourth in the rankings behind Penn State, which was unanimously selected first, NJIT, and George Mason.
Vena and Rice were named players to watch by the EIVA coaches. Vena, a senior middle blocker, was a First Team All-EIVA honoree in 2025. Rice, a sophomore pin, was named to the Second Team All-EIVA after a breakout freshman season.
In 2025, the Tigers went 15-11 overall and 10-2 in the EIVA, winning the EIVA regular season championship before falling to Penn State in the EIVA tournament finals.
The Tigers will kick off the 2026 season on January 3rd as they take on Toronto Metropolitan on the road in Canada. First serve is set for 8 p.m.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Senior middle blocker Ally Barth has been named to the Summit League Volleyball All-Academic Team for the first time in her career, the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
Barth boasts a 3.94 GPA in Management Communication and was one of seven players in the Summit League to earn a spot on the Academic All-League Team. The Verona, Wis., native was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team for the third time in her career earlier this month.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions, except pitchers who must have participated in 20 percent of their team’s total contests.
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s participating members, and voting is conducted by both SIDs and FARs.
The full Summit League release can be viewed here.
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason Men’s Volleyball team has been selected to finish third in the 2026 EIVA Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference announced Monday afternoon. The Patriots are only behind Penn State and NJIT, with the Nittany Lions claiming the unanimous choice to top the group for the second straight year.
George Mason ended their 2025 season with a 16-13 overall record and a conference record of 6-6. After sweeping Charleston (WV) in the first round of the EIVA tournament, the Patriots’ season came to a close when they lost 3-1 to top-seeded Princeton in the semifinals
Redshirt senior outside hitter Liam French and sophomore middle blocker Alexander Lillie were also selected to the 2026 EIVA Players to Watch list. French played 72 sets from 24 matches and scored 233 points with 191 kills. The Virginia Beach, Va., native also had 29 service aces, the second-most on the team, as well as a .242 hitting percentage, 57 digs and 22 blocks. French recorded a season-high of four service aces against Charleston (WV) on April 23rd.
Lillie’s freshman campaign was a decorated one, as he was named a three-time EIVA Defensive Player of the Week and was also selected to the EIVA First-Team. The Ronkonkoma, N.Y., product appeared in 82 sets across 24 matches and recorded 30 solo blocks, which was the second-most in the country. In total, his 94 blocks with 1.132 blocks per set was good enough for ninth-best in the country as well.
George Mason starts off the 2026 season in Salisbury, N.C., on January 10th when the Patriots face off against Catawba College. After two more away games in Columbus, Ohio, against Ohio State (Jan. 15) and Long Beach State (Jan. 16), the Patriots will host their home opener against Merrimack on Jan. 24th at 6 pm at the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC).
Flathead High School on Friday announced the resignation of head coach Emily Russell, who had led the Bravettes Volleyball program for the past six years.
The Flathead Activities Department will begin the hiring process after the holiday break, aiming to present a candidate recommendation to the Board of Trustees by February, according to a press release from the school.
“We are excited about the level of work ethic and talent that our returning players bring to the program,” Matt Allison, assistant principal and activities director, said. “The Flathead Activities mission is developing champions in life and tomorrow’s leaders.
“We will continue to push our student-athletes and this program forward.”
Russel took the helm of the program for the 2020 season, marking a return to her alma mater where as a player she helped lead the Bravettes to the school’s most recent hardware finish at the state tournament.
“A Flathead High School alumna and former setter on the 2012 state runner-up team, Russell returned to her alma mater with a passion for the program and a commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the court,” the school said in the press release.
During her time as a coach with the program — one year as an assistant coach and six years as head coach — Russell led the Bravettes to the Class AA state tournament in 2021 where the team finished 1-2.
That state tournament appearance proved to be the winningest season during Russell’s tenure. The Bravettes finished the 2025 season 5-21 overall and 4-10 in the Western AA conference. Both the 2024 and 2025 seasons came to a close with 3-0 defeats in Class AA state tournament games.
“We are excited about the level of work ethic and talent that our returning players bring to the program,” Allison said. “The Flathead Activities mission is developing champions in life and tomorrow’s leaders. We will continue to push our student-athletes and this program forward.”
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — No. 3 seed Texas A&M showed the “grit” it has displayed throughout the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball tournament in Sunday’s final, beating No. 1 seed Kentucky 3-0 to capture the program’s first national championship.
In the first all-SEC title-game showdown, the Aggies trailed by as many as six points in the first set and were down a set point. A kill by redshirt sophomore Kyndal Stowers tied the game at 24-24. A block by Ifenna Cos-Okpalla gave the Aggies a set point. And a Stowers kill sealed it.
The Aggies never trailed the rest of the way.
“As soon as we got within two, I was like, ‘Oh no’ for them,” Texas A&M coach Jamie Morrison said. “They should know better on this team. This team is not going to back down.”
The Aggies had a string of upsets just to make it to the title game, starting with a regional semifinal reverse sweep of No. 2 seed Louisville, followed by a regional final upset against previously undefeated No.1 Nebraska. Texas A&M continued its upset streak by sweeping No. 1 Pitt 3-0 in the semifinals before claiming the national title against Kentucky.
“I just said, ‘We’ve been here before. We’ve been there twice. I brought up the Louisville match,” Morrison said of his team’s first-set deficit. “We talked about Louisville being down 0-2. We talked about Nebraska. We said, ‘Hey, we’ve been here.’ … I just said, ‘It’s going to take one or two points, start to get firing, they’re going to be there.'”
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In the second set, the Aggies held a consistent lead over the Wildcats, finishing 25-15 after an attack error by Kentucky. Texas A&M held onto its lead in the third set and clinched the title when senior middle blocker Cos-Okpalla’s kill brought the score to 25-20.
After leading her team with 11 kills, Texas A&M senior Logan Lednicky fought back tears as she looked back at her four-year career in College Station. The 6-foot-3 opposite hitter credited the nine seniors on her team for helping build this program.
“I was pretty emotional all day today just knowing that no matter the outcome of this game, it would be my last getting to represent A&M on my chest,” Lednicky said. “Being able to do this with these girls, end with the trophy, end like this, I just can’t even believe it.”
Stowers, who had 10 kills in the title match, claimed the Most Outstanding Player award. The transfer from Baylor medically retired because of concussions before transferring to Texas A&M. Stowers had 17 kills against Louisville, 25 against Nebraska and 16 against Pitt.
“A year ago today, I sat on my couch and watched some good friends of mine actually win this game,” Stowers said of Penn State’s victory over Louisville. “Now, to be living that is genuinely surreal. It was a journey to get here. Good days; bad days. It took this guy, sitting next to me, Morrison, believing in me after not playing volleyball for over a year and a half, to take me on his roster and coach me every single day.”
Throughout the NCAA tournament, Texas A&M credited its “grit.” The Aggies were two points away from elimination in the regional semifinals against Louisville. Since that upset, the Aggies outscored their opponents 317-276.
“It’s a testament to the work we put in in the practice gym and just generally in all of our careers,” Lednicky said after the semifinals. “It’s been a long time coming for us, a lot of work put into this moment.”
Kentucky had won four matches in a row against Texas A&M, including a four-set victory Oct. 8. Wildcats coach Craig Skinner pointed to A&M’s passing as the difference.
“They handled our serve really well early,” Skinner said. “Our serving pressure didn’t allow them to get in sync when we were down at College Station. Today, they were in sync.
“Credit their first contact with their passers of Underwood, Applegate, Hellmuth, and Stowers for really doing a good job of providing Waak opportunities to set their whole offense. It was a difficult thing to try and score points on defense.”
