ASHEVILLE, N.C. – For the fifth straight time, the High Point University Men’s Track and Field team was crowned the 2025 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Champions. The Panthers totaled 304 points after landing on the podium with 12 gold medals.

“We talk about our goal being to pursue excellence, not perfection,” Head Coach Mike Esposito stated. “For people who know track and field, there was some excellence out there for three days, so not perfection, but oh boy, they were excellent. I have the best staff in America; It’s not even close. We are very blessed at High Point with resources, but we have the best staff. We have the best work ethic in kids, and we’ve got a role in and it’s a tribute to my staff, so the preparation didn’t start this week. We are looking beyond this week and to North Florida here in two weeks to get some kids to Eugene for NCAA Nationals. We want to be a top 25 team in the country. It will and can happen at some point.”

 

The first two days of the Big South Championships held the decathlon, a mix of field event finals and the running event preliminaries. On Wednesday, the running event finals were completed along with another mix of field events. Following the three-day event, the Championship ceremony took place honoring various athletes of the year with the presentation of awards.

 

On day one, the first individual title of the meet was given to Justin Sluijter in the men’s long jump. He jumped 7.69m in the sand to earn first-place.

 

The men’s pole vault team swept the podium as Ricardo Montes de Oca was named the champion clearing 4.91m. Jackson Toumey placed second clearing 4.46m and Jason Olivera Jr. placed third clearing 4.01m.

 

In the throwing events, Alex Hoffman placed second in the men’s hammer throw after throwing 57.77m.

 

Rounding out the first day, Hunter Steinau put on a show in the men’s 10,000m race. He was crowned the champion after clocking a 30:33.78 time earning his first collegiate Big South title.

 

On day two, High Point had two athletes compete in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. Aiden Morrison made the podium placing third with a 9:21.80 time. Evan J. Mills crossed the finish line two places behind Morrison with a 9:36.61 time for fifth place.

 

The Panthers had four athletes to compete in the decathlon across the two days including Cole Wilson, Evan Mills, David Caivano and William Reeves. Three Panthers swept the podium as Wilson was crowned the champion with a program record, 7,609 points, followed by Mills with 6,750 points and Caivano with 6,268 points. Reeves placed fourth with 5,508 points. Wilson recorded personal bests in the 110m hurdles (14.78), 1500m (4:35.59) and the 400m (49.58).

“The decathlon is very similar to a track meet all in one event,” Esposito added. “Because of the ups and downs of it, you are not going to have a perfect meet, just like you aren’t going to have a perfect dec. He mixed in PRs with some disappointing performances, but to his credit, he really rallied back at the end of both days in the 400m and 1500s to put him in a position to go to Eugene. When he focuses on excellence like he did and not perfection, he’s pretty darn good.”

 

In the men’s javelin, Drew Noblet placed second for a spot on the podium after launching the javelin a personal best 62.83m. In the men’s shot put, Caleb Barley placed fourth with a 16.21m throw and Hoffman placed fifth with a 15.91m throw.

 

In the jumps, Mobu Nwakor took home second place in the men’s triple jump with a season best 14.52m.

 

Kicking off the final day on Wednesday, the men’s 4x100m relay team secured first-place down the home stretch with a new program record 39.71 time. Following up the opening race, Graham Ferguson won the men’s 1500m race with a 3:49.74 time. Jason Thomson joined Ferguson on the podium in second place with a 3:50.41 time.

 

Antonio Votour jumped out to a lead in the men’s 110m hurdles and crossed the finish line in first place with a 14.97 time.

 

In the men’s 400m race, HPU swept the podium all recording new personal best times. Tim Brown took gold with a 46.45 time for new program record, Marquis Belle took silver with a 47.08 time and Myles Darroch took bronze with a 47.32 time.

 

In the men’s 100m dash, Keshon Sapp made the podium crossing the finish line in second place with a 10.30 time.

 

Camerin Williams made a statement in the men’s 800m with a new program and meet record clocking an impressive 1:47.37 time. Both Ferguson and Thomson joined Williams on the podium in second and third respectively with new personal best times. Ferguson recorded a 1:50.09 time and Thomson recorded a 1:51.25 time. Jake Weakland placed fourth with a personal best 1:51.73 time.

 

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Allon Sweeney placed second with a new personal best 52.97 time.

 

Steinau took home his second Big South title of the week in the men’s 5,000m race after registering a 14:29.77 time, beating UNC Asheville’s Paul Kiprotich by tenths of a second as they crossed the finish line. Gavin Stevens recorded a new personal best with a 14:33.43 time for fourth place.

 

Closing out the track events, the men’s 4x400m took home first place with a dominant 3:07.58 time. The group consisted of Marquis Belle, Camerin Williams, Myles Darroch and Tim Brown.

 

In the final events on the final day, Hoffman placed fourth in the men’s discus with a 47.52m throw. High Point had two Panthers make the podium in the men’s high jump. Alex Constantinou took first with a 2.09m mark and Shaun Thomas took second with a 2.07m mark after having a jump off in the finals. John Connors placed fourth with a 1.97m clear.

Following the meet, the Big South announced the athlete of the year awards. Below is the list of High Point student-athlete honorees.

Men’s Outstanding Performance

Cole Wilson, High Point (based on event performance by TFFRs of 7,609 points in the decathlon)

 

Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year

High Point

Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year

Graham Ferguson, High Point (3.93 GPA, Accounting & Finance)

UP NEXT:

This concludes the 2025 High Point track and field outdoor regular season. Athletes who qualified for the NCAA First Rounds in Jacksonville, Florida will prepare for the postseason.

 

#GoHPU x #DefendTheTeam

Maine West boys volleyball tied the school record for wins Monday, May 5, but they had to wait until Tuesday, May 13 to officially break the record with their 26th win of the season. 
After a tough 25-21, 25-19 loss to Niles North Wednesday, May 7 to snap the Warriors perfect conference record, Maine West (26-5) rebounded to win 25-15, 25-16 over Vernon Hills May 13.
The Warriors surpassed the 25-12 team in 2022 for the most wins in a single season.
Maine West’s Aiden Michels (14) is fired up af…

Greensboro, NC – Isabella Gerena recorded a personal best time in the 3000m Steeplechase to lead the Pride at the CAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gerena finished the race in 10th place with a time of 11:21.40.

Allison Reid finished the 1500m trials with a time of 4:53.83 to finish in 25th place out of the 29-runner field. In the 10,000m race, Saralyn Frederick finished with a time of 38:43.33 to place 18th of 18 runners. 

Elon leads the team competition with 44 points, with Hampton in second place with 29. As a team, Hofstra is not ranked. 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In partnership with Polk County Public Schools and Visit Central Florida Sports, the Florida High School Boys Volleyball State Championships return this weekend to the Winter Haven Health Center on the campus of Polk State College in Winter Haven. This will be the third straight year that Polk State College will host the boys championship event, but the first year the event consists of three separate classifications. The three-day event will comprise of semifinal matches on Thursday and Friday, followed by all championship matches on Saturday.

Some event notables heading into the weekend include the 2024 state champion Winter Park returning to the event to defend their title and seek their third overall championship school history. However, with the addition of the two new classifications, the Wildcats will do so in the newly formed Class 3A. Should they advance to the championship match on Saturday, they could see their 2024 opponent Southwest Miami who are also seeking their fourth overall title.  All remaining teams in the field this year will be seeking their first ever  state championship in the sport.

Tickets are currently on sale via GoFan for $14.00 if purchased in advance and $17.00 if purchased the day of, with no onsite ticket sales taking place. Tickets are general admission and good for the entire day of competition. Additionally, there will be no charge for parking onsite, as the $3.00 cost is already included in each ticket of admission. For a complete schedule, along with the playoff brackets and any additional event information, please see below or visit the boys volleyball sport page.

 

2025 Boys Volleyball State Championships (Thursday, May 15 – Saturday, May 17) 

State Championship Tournament Match Schedule

Thursday, May 15

• Class 1A State Semifinal #1, 4 p.m.
  

  • SLAM (Tampa) vs. True North (Miami)

• Class 1A State Semifinal #2, 7 p.m.

  • J.C. Bermudez (Doral) vs. King’s Academy (West Palm Beach)

Friday, May 16

• Class 2A State Semifinal #1, 10 a.m.
  

  • Lake Howell (Winter Park) vs. Suncoast (Riviera Beach)

• Class 2A State Semifinal #2, 1 p.m.

  • Gulf Breeze vs. Reagan (Doral)

• Class 3A State Semifinal #1, 4 p.m.

  • Horizon (Winter Garden) vs. Winter Park

• Class 3A State Semifinal #2, 7 p.m.

  • Seminole Ridge (Westlake) vs. Southwest Miami

Saturday, May 17

• Class 1A State Championship, 1 p.m.
  

  • Defending champion: Winter Park 

• Class 2A State Championship, 4 p.m.

  • Defending champion: new classification

• Class 3A State Championship, 7 p.m.

  • Defending champion: new classification

Know Before You Go:
Where: Polk State College – Winter Haven Health Center (Winter Haven)
When: Thursday, May 15^th – Saturday, May 17^th  
Host: Polk County Public Schools
Tournament Brackets: Class 3A | Class 2A | Class 1A
Event Schedule & Results: click here
Admission: $14.00 with advance purchase and $17.00 the day of

• All tickets available via GoFan with NO onsite ticket sales taking place
• $3.00 cost of parking included in each ticket of admission 

Parking: fee included in ticket of admission with all proceeds retained by the Host
Official Merchandise: Team IP
Event Photography: Fastbreak Connect
Live Webcast(s): NFHS Network
Lodging and Event Information: click here*

*This is a collection of resources provided by the host organization to better assist you in your travel and stay within Polk County. All lodging and attractions will need to be contacted for more information, and are not directly affiliated with the FHSAA or Local Organizing Committee.

 

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Want to become a Brevard County firefighter? Now is your chance with an annual sponsorship award offered by Brevard County Fire Rescue.

One young scholarship recipient says he has a personal motivation to serve the public.

Jeff Gauvin steps away from the stress of working two jobs, seven days a week, with his music. His goal is to pay his car off.

Jeff Gauvin is looking to become a firefighter-paramedic after his grandmother passed away in a house fire two years ago.

“For me, it’s just something I want to be a part of, to make sure nobody else has to go through that phone call, because my dad called me when it happened,” Gauvin said. “I found out through him. That’s something I want to help prevent.”

Gauvin is on his way to becoming a first responder after being awarded one of 34 Brevard County Fire Rescue firefighter sponsorships.

Gauvin and the others will attend Eastern Florida State College for emergency medical technician or fire academy training.

Since the program began in 2021, the department has hired 72 recipients, and 19 more are currently in the hiring process.

Gauvin, who now works two jobs, seven days a week and gets away from the stress of that with his music, learned about the scholarship through a friend who is an EMT in Orlando.

“He’s going to work with me when I’m going through school and help me through the process,” Gauvin says.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, about 25,700 openings for firefighters/paramedics were expected nationwide each year from 2023 to 2033.

The national average for demand nationwide by 2026 is 8%, and Florida stands at 7%, according to the Labor Department.

The increase in demand can be attributed to injuries, job transfers and retirements, officials said.

The training to get new firefighters and paramedics ready for their jobs is physically taxing.

“I lift Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I run every day after work,” Gauvin said. “I just get it in.”

He recommends the path to anyone.

“They are with you the whole way through,” Gauvin said. “They’re telling you what to do. They are motivating you and giving you some words of encouragement.”

The fourth annual BCFR sponsorship signing day is May 28 at 3 p.m. at Station 48 in the Viera community.