SHAWNEE, Okla. – The SWOSU track & field team wrapped up the 2025 Great American Conference Championships with six all-conference awards, highlighted by Marleigh West and Jaci Shelton’s First Team All-GAC honors. The Bulldogs accumulated 22 points, finishing eighth overall, while Oklahoma Baptist claimed its fourth consecutive conference title.

On the academic front, six SWOSU athletes earned spots on the Academic Honor Roll, boasting a minimum 3.5 GPA. The honorees included West, Shelton, Breegan Barnett, Samantha Kuzma, Makenlee Shieldnight, and Delaney York.

This season marked a milestone for the program, with two athletes earning First Team All-GAC selections for the first time since its inception in 2017. West led the charge, securing first-team honors with a third-place finish in shot put while earning honorable mention recognition in both discus and hammer throw. Shelton’s record-breaking discus throw of 42.98m earned her first-team honors and a third-place finish as the program’s new furthest throw. 

Other notable performances included Deuna Miller’s sixth-place finish in the 100m, securing second-team honors, and Torri Tottress’s seventh-place finish in shot put, earning honorable mention.

West and Miller will compete at the West Texas A&M Last Chance Meet on May 11, aiming to qualify for the national championships later this month.

Great American Conference Championships
Wednesday-Friday, April 30-May 2

Shawnee, Okla. (Hurt Memorial Athletic Complex)
Final Results (link)
 

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – While the 2024-25 year is not quite completely in the books just yet, Santa Clara Athletics celebrated their student-athletes for the achievements both on the field, in the classroom and in the community with their annual student-athlete awards. The night saw a total of 11 awards handed out, culminating with women’s soccer winning the Vic Corsiglia One Shining Moment Award for their road victory at BYU in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and men’s golfer J.P. Odland and women’s basketball star Oliva Pollerd winning male and female athlete of the year honors, respectively. The full list of winners is below. 

Jim Jennings Award:

Awarded to a male and female non-student athlete for their volunteer service to the athletic department.

AnnaMarie Van Buiten (Beach Volleyball Manager)

Tomas Donaldson (Women’s Soccer Manager)

Jay D. Farwell Award:

Given to the senior male and female student-athlete with the highest GPA.

Lauren Lietzke (Volleyball)

Brennan Mallett (Men’s Soccer)

Inclusive Excellence Award:

This award is presented annually to student-athlete(s) who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the Santa Clara Athletics Department’s goal of advancing excellence through diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

Kyla Acres (Softball)

Jim Shea Award:

This award recognizes a male or female student athlete who has courageously led their team through selfless actions, and been a campus community leader. Jim Shea was the first Santa Clara student-athlete whose life was cut short while serving in the Vietnam War.

Abbey Charpentier (Softball)

Brenton Knapper (Men’s Basketball)

DJ Frandsen Award:

A male or female student- athlete who used perseverance and spirit to overcome adversity to serve as a role model of inspiration. The award is in memory of David Frandsen Jr. former basketball manager  who inspired many in his battle with cancer.

Marisa Bubnis (Women’s Soccer)

John Kim (Men’s Tennis)

Marygrace Colby Award

Given annually to a senior female student-athlete who best demonstrates qualities of character, desire and competitive spirit on and off the field. Mary Grace Colby was Santa Clara’s first women’s athletic director.

Lauren Grover (Volleyball and Women’s Basketball)

Henry Schmidt Award

Given annually to a male student-athlete who best demonstrates attitude, character, desire, competitive spirit on and off the field of play. He was Santa Clara’s first athletic trainer, a position he held for 50 years. 

Zach Fales (Men’s Water Polo)

Carroll Williams Award

A senior student-athlete who best defines what it means to be a Santa Clara student-athlete, someone who excels in the classroom, on the field of play, and makes outstanding contributions to the community. Carroll Williams served as SCU long-time basketball coach and athletic director.

Libby Slater (Women’s Water Polo)

Connor Menke (Men’s Rowing)

Vic Corsiglia One Shining Moment Award

An award given to any male or female team or student-athlete for a “one shining” moment. This award is presented annually to an individual or team and represents a pinnacle achievement during the season of play.

Women’s Soccer defeats BYU in 2025 NCAA Tournament

Brandi Chastain Female Athlete of the Year

Olivia Pollerd (Women’s Basketball)

Pay Malley Male Athlete of the Year

J.P. Odland (Men’s Golf)

 

State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People’s Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People’s Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People’s Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People’s Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People’s Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People’s Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People’s Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People’s Rep’c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People’s RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People’s RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People’s Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People’s RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

The annual NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament was held in Gulf Shores over the weekend, where over a dozen schools competed for the national title.
16 schools from across the nation competed in the weekend tournament, ranging from the likes of Florida State, Texas, LSU and Stanford, but TCU and Loyola Marymount (LMU) ultimately met in the National Championship, which was played on Sunday morning.

Leading up to Sunday, LMU upset the four-time defending champions, USC, in the quarterfinals before coming back from behind to defeat UCLA, one of only three schools to even reach the finals, in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the National Championship game. Meanwhile, TCU defeated Georgia State, Texas and Cal Poly en route to their championship appearance.

In the end, TCU claimed their first national title, finishing with a 32-5 overall record, becoming the first school other than USC and UCLA to win the national championship. The Trojans won the first two, along with the most recent four in a row, while the Bruins won two straight from 2018 to 2019.

TCU’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno, both of whom took a year off to participate in the Paris Olympics last year, came back and helped the Horned Frogs seal the victory in the final match. They lost their first game 18-21 to LMU’s Michelle Shaffer and Anna Pelloia but rallied to win the final two 21-15 and 15-6.

Sunday’s championship game was played in single-elimination duals with 10 players split into five pairs from each team. The dual meet match is played in five best-of-three sets, with each pair’s match being worth one point.

The NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament has become a new but iconic addition to the Gulf Shores area. Last December, a five-year agreement was reached that would keep the tournament in Gulf Shores until 2031 after what was initially supposed to be a two-year stint in California, according to previous reporting from Gulf Coast Media. However, NCAA and city officials decided to move it from Huntington Beach back to Gulf Shores this year in wake of the wildfires that impacted southern California in January. The event will return to the West Coast next year as originally scheduled before returning to Gulf Shores from 2027 through 2031.

The agreement to bring the sport’s culminating tournament to the Alabama Gulf Coast is thanks to the city’s ability to grow with the event, with the NCAA setting attendance records each year since the sport was originally sanctioned for championship play in 2016, GCM previously reported. Before then, the American Volleyball Coaches Association sand championships were held in Gulf Shores since 2012.

“The commitment to invest and support these championships in terms of facilities, staffing, marketing and more were integral data points to our decision-making process. We feel the efficiency of scale that can be realized with these long-term commitments between the NCAA and our hosts provides an opportunity for more enhancement of these championships, leading to an increased student-athlete and fan experience moving forward,” said Anthony Holman, NCAA vice president of championships and alliances, in a Dec. 9, 2024, announcement about the three-year extension of 2029-2031.

Improvements on the sand included additional spectator stadium seating and hospitality space. The television compound, marketing resources and student-athlete experiences were also mentioned as enticing amenities for the top collegiate beach volleyball players in the country.

GCM reported in March that the tournament was part of Alabama’s Beaches — formerly Gulf Shores | Orange Beach Sports & Events — earning the second-highest economic impact in the state in 2024. Across 123 events on the beach, Alabama’s Beaches recorded 123,641 hotel nights and an economic impact of $80.4 million.

With 91 events, Foley Sports Tourism recorded 31,615 hotel nights helped bring in an economic impact of $47 million to the city for the fifth-highest economic impact in the state last year. Birmingham was the leader where 150 events led to 261,989 hotel nights and an economic impact of nearly $250 million.

DURHAM, N.C. – In the final tune-up before the MEAC Outdoor Championships, the North Carolina Central men’s and women’s track & field teams competed at the Duke Twilight at Morris Williams Stadium on Sunday. Sophomore Jonathan Raijon-Koger claimed the men’s high jump crown for a season and college career best of 2.09m.

Raijon-Koger has been steadily increasing his leaps this outdoor season. His ranges were between 1.95m and 2.06m in every meet until Sunday’s outburst of 2.09m to win the men’s high jump. He’s now tied for 8^th in the Southeast region this year.

Fellow Eagle Theodore Skinner joined Raijon-Koger in the top five, clearing 2.01m (5^th) in the event. After his performance in the Raleigh Relays earlier this spring, Skinner still stands at 7th in the Southeast region.   

Tia Lucas is now tied for 2^nd on the HBCU Outdoor Performance list and 10^th in the Southeast region after her 2nd-place finish in the women’s high jump at Duke. Lucas earned a new personal record of 1.71m.

On the track, Nyree Bacchus came in third in the women’s 400m with a new personal record of 53.42. That new time moves her to 4^th on the 2025 HBCU Performance List in the 400 event.

Both relay teams posted top-five performances in the 4×100. The women’s team, comprised of Melanne Sutton, August Freeman, Gianna Marquez and Bacchus crossed the line in 2^nd (46.89). The men’s relay team featuring Allen Barnes, Zion Amadi, Alan Webster and Deshaun Johnson took 5^th (40.47).

Some other personal records from NCCU included Naa’Irah Andrews (women’s shot put – 10.90m), Ryan Chong (men’s 3000m steeple – 10:15.47), Laila Jackson (2:08.89), Kayla Johnson (2:09.50) and Navi McDowell (2:17.37), all in the women’s 800m, Marquez (women’s 400m hurdles – 1:01.78), Sutton (women’s 200m – 23.86) and D. Johnson (men’s 100m – 10.58).  

NC Central turns its attention to the 2025 MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 15-17 at William Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va.

NCCU Top-Five Finishes

Women’s 400m

Nyree Bacchus – 3^rd (53.42)

Men’s High Jump

Jonathan Raijon-Koger – 1^st (2.09m)

Theodore Skinner – 5^th (2.01m)

Women’s High Jump

Tia Lucas – 2^nd (1.71m)

Men’s 4x100m Relay

Barnes, Johnson, Amadi, Webster – 5^th (40.47)

Women’s 4x100m Relay

Sutton, Bacchus, Freeman, Marquez – 2^nd (46.89)

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.