The Hope College men’s track and field team struck gold on the final day of the MIAA Outdoor Championships, winning six events on Friday at Alma College.

Sprinter Liam Danitz led the haul with three gold medals, including two individual and one relay. 

Runners Erickson Kunzler, Ian Petruska and Dylan Terpstra all clocked first-place performances for the Flying Dutchmen, who finished the two-day, seven-team meet in third place after scoring 171 points.

“It’s fun to win events, and we won a lot of events,” head coach Kevin Cole said, referring to the men’s and women’s teams, who combined for 11 gold medals. “We placed really high in a lot of different things. I’m most excited for the seniors to go out with some victories. We didn’t quite have the depth to take the championship this year, but that happens. I think the team is looking really good now and in the future.”

Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights HS) became the eighth Flying Dutchmen sprinter to win the 100- and 200-meter runs in the same MIAA Outdoor Championships.

In the 100, Danitz clocked a first-place of 10.68 seconds, 0.13 ahead of runner-up Zion Jackson from Trine University. Danitz is Hope’s ninth MIAA champion in the event.

In the 200, Danitz recorded a winning run of 20.94 seconds, 0.45 ahead of the second-place Jackson and ranking the junior third in the nation this season. Danitz is Hope’s 11th MIAA champion in the event.

Junior Nolan Sanders (Midland, Michigan / H.H. Dow) finished sixth at 22.19.

In the 400, Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) clocked a first-place time of 48.67 seconds, edging Calvin’s Koby VanderWoude by 0.06. 

Terpstra is Hope’s third 400-meter MIAA champion, joining Elliott Barney (2010) and Phil Cratty (1992).

Senior Joshua Ennen (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) took sixth with a PR 49.70.

In the 1,500-meter run, Petruska (Fort Collins, Colorado / Fort Collins) crossed the finish line first at 3:53.08, 0.15 ahead of runner-up Max Van Huis from Trine. It marked the fifth consecutive time a Flying Dutchmen runner won the event and the 19th time overal. and the 

Three of Petruska’s teammates also scored in the race: senior Connor Vachon (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison) in fourth at 3:53.87, freshman Elias Kretchmar (Granville, Ohio / Granville) in fifth at 3:57.23 and senior Tyler King (Villa Park, Illinois / Willowbrook) in seventh at 3:59.18.



The 4×400 relay of Terpstra, Ennen, freshman Gavin Bush (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm) and Danitz raced to a winning time of 3:16.81, topping runner-up Calvin by 1.69 seconds. It’s Hope’s third title in the event.

Hope earned silver medals in three more events.

In the javelin, sophomore Matthew Bir (Wenatchee, Washington / River Academy) finished runner-up with a PR toss of 52.10 meters (170 feet, 11 inches).



Junior Wil Pinkerton (Ann Arbor, Michigan / Pioneer) placed fourth with a throw of 50.92 meters (167-0).



In the 5,000 meters, junior Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) finished runner-up at 14:52.01, second to Calvin’s Thaine Nedeverld (14:50.32).



Two of Cole’s teammates also earned points. Freshman Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) took fourth with a PR 14:55.69. Petruska was sixth at 15:08.89.



In the 4×100 relay, Hope posted a runner-up effort as Sanders, Terpstra, Danitz and Trumble clocked a time of 41.50. Trine won at 41.17.



Hope scored in four more events on Saturday.



In the 110-meter hurdles, freshman Logan Lipka (Frankenmuth, Michigan / Frankenmuth) posted a fifth-place run of 15.58.



In the men’s triple jump, Lipka recorded a sixth-place leap of 12.65 meters (41-6). 



In the 400-meter hurdles, senior Samuel Miller (Zionsville, Indiana / Zionsville) finished runner-up after a PR run of 55.15, trailing only Calvin’s Bob Horton (53.34). 



Lipka placed fourth at 58.98. Freshman Kevin Barifagok (Las Vegas, Nevada / Cristo Rey Saint Viator) was eighth with a time of 58.98.



Trine captured its fifth consecutive MIAA championship by totaling 210 points, five more than runner-up Calvin. Hope finished ahead of fourth-place Albion College (104), The University of Olivet (68), Adrian College (35) and Alma College (20). 

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Track and Field will close their regular season with its sixth outdoor meet of the season on Saturday at the SMU Invite at the Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.
 
The SMU Invite will be a one-day meet for the Texans to make their final pushes to get their best marks in ahead of the conference championships. The meet will start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning with the men’s and women’s 5000-meter runs. Then, the field events will take the main stage with javelin, hammer throw and high jump all scheduled to start at the top of the hour. The meet will mark the first home meet for the Mustangs since 1998.
 

The Texans will be competing in an 11-team field. Also joining the Texans in Dallas are: Oklahoma State, SMU, Missouri State (women only), Arkansas-Little Rock, Prairie View A&M, University of Texas at Dallas, North Texas at Dallas, Texas Wesleyan, Mississippi Valley State, Huston-Tillotson and Paul Quinn College.
 
A week after entering the Top 25 on the men’s side for the first time in program history, the Texan men improved their ranking to number 20 the following week. Tarleton State became the first WAC program since 2022 to reach the top 25 and now is the only program since the Texans joined the conference in 2020 to be ranked in the top 25 in back-to-back weeks. Tarleton is the highest ranked men’s program in the WAC currently, with California Baptist the next highest-ranked team at 49th.
 
Head coach Bobby Carter is in his first year as a collegiate head coach and his first season with the Texan program. Carter was hired on June 20, 2024 when he started building the foundation for this elite program. Carter is the only head coach in the top 25 that is in his first year as a collegiate head coach or in his first year with the program, a remarkable achievement.
 
The Texans are fueled to their top 25 ranking by one of the best jump squads in the nation. Tarleton State has three men ranked within the top six in the NCAA in either the long or triple jump. As an event group, the Texan long jump squad is the third best in the nation. The duo of Lokesh Sathyanathan and Sir Jonathan Sims lead the long jump squad. Sathyanathan notched an 8.14-meter leap two weeks ago to become the nation’s leader in the event. Sims ranks sixth in the country with a best jump of 7.94 meters also coming at the Michael Johnson Invitational. Sims also moved himself up the triple jump leaderboards climbing to 12^th in the nation. The Arizona transfer notched a 15.99-meter leap to claim second at the Joe Gillespie Invitational.
 
The Texans earned a trio of WAC weekly awards after their performances at the Joe Gillespie Invitational. After setting new school and facility records in the triple jump at the Joe Gillespie Invitational this weekend, Gabriele Tosti earned his second outdoor men’s field athlete of the week honor. He ranks third in the NCAA in the triple jump. His new personal best of 16.39 meters also leads the WAC and ranks third in the NCAA West Region. Ca’terrin Cox earned his first men’s track athlete of the week honor after turning the top qualifying time in the 110 hurdles at the Joe Gillespie Invitational. Cox ranks fourth in the WAC and 45^th in the West region with his season best time of 13.94 seconds.
 
Lauren Roy was the third Texan to claim a weekly honor. She earned the women’s track athlete of the week after becoming the first Texan in program history and the first woman in the WAC this season to run a sub-23 second 200 meters. Roy won the Joe Gillispie Invitational in 22.85 seconds and leads the WAC this season. The senior also set the Northern Ireland national record for the second time this year. She ranks ninth in the NCAA West Region and 16^th in all of the NCAA.
 
In total the Texans have seven athletes totaling eight top 20 event rankings in the nation. Along with Sims, tosti and Sathyanathan, Victoria Cameron, Prestina Ochonogor and the Women’s 4×100 relay team rank among the best in the nation. Cameron currently leads the WAC and ranks eighth in the country in the 100 meters. Her best time of 11.09 seconds came at the Texas Relays. Ochonogor earned silver at the Texas Relays where she jumped 6.48 meters to post the 12^th best leap in the nation. The freshman from Nigeria finished 12^th at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Texan women’s 4×100 meter relay team ranks 20^th in the nation with their best run of the season coming at the Michael Johnson Invitational. The squad ran in 43.70 seconds to set the new school record.
 
Tarleton State will have two weeks of rest before heading to the 2025 WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Arlington, Texas. The Texans will look to post their best finishes in program history after posting their best team finishes at the indoor championships earlier this year.
 
 
 

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Army West Point men’s and Boston University’s women’s teams lead their respective fields after the first day at the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hart Track, hosted by the College of the Holy Cross.  

Colgate’s Cole Blair became the first Patriot League student-athlete to secure four-consecutive titles in the long jump since the League began sponsoring track and field in 1991. Meanwhile, Navy sophomore Helen Emerick set a Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track and Field record in the pole vault, clearing 4.07m (13’ 4”).

Boston University’s Peace Omonzane established a Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field record in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.44 meters. To close out the day’s track events, Boston University women’s 4×800-meter relay team of Lily Borin, Olivia Dodds, Maura Woodland-Medenilla and Vera Sjöberg established a Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Championship record with a first-place time of 8:39.22.

The Army West Point men’s team totaled 68 points through the first day of the championship, while Navy sits in second with 56 points. Boston University (39), Bucknell (19) and Lehigh (18) rounded out the top five. Colgate (13), Lafayette (11), Holy Cross (10) and American (0) concluded the men’s scoring totals after day one.

Boston University compiled 59 points to lead the women’s field through day one, while Army West Point sits in second place with 49 points. Navy sits in third with 41 points, trailed by Bucknell with 37 points. Lehigh rounds out the top five with 21 points. Holy Cross (16), Lafayette (7), Colgate (2), Loyola Maryland (2) and American (0) round out the women’s field.

For results from today’s preliminary and semifinal races, please click here.

Patriot League on ESPN+ Coverage

Saturday is the final day of the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Saturday’s track events for the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be streamed on ESPN+. Due to anticipated weather on Saturday evening, all events have been moved up by one hour. For an updated schedule of tomorrow’s event start times, please click here.

 

WATCH DAY TWO ON ESPN+

DAY ONE TRACK EVENT RECAPS

10,000 METERS

Navy’s Murphy Smith won gold in 30:56.08 to earn first-team honors in the event’s opening race. Fellow Midshipman Alexander Kirkland (30:57.87) finished second, while Army West Point junior Anthony Diaz (31:02.90) claimed the bronze medal.

 

Army West Point junior Charlotte Richman repeated as the gold medalist in the women’s 10,000m with a winning time of 36:55.342. Teammate Louisa Diamond finished as the runner-up for the second consecutive season, finishing stride-for-stride with Richman at 36:55.349. Boston University’s Merem Gabriel-Rodriguez garnered a third-place finish in 37:12.55 to earn six points for the Terriers.

 

4X800-METER RELAY

Boston University won the men’s 4×800 with a time of 7:29.61 with the quartet of Thomas Cowan, Karsen Vesty, Shamiso Sikaneta and Parker Schneider. Army West Point’s relay team of Jordan Taylor, Ammon Smith, Adam Furman and Kasen Jeitz took home the silver medal with a time of 7:32.04, while Navy’s team of James Partlow, Carson Sloat, Matthew Newell and Luke Nester earned a third-place finish at 7:32.09.

 

The Boston University women’s 4×800-meter relay team of Lily Borin, Olivia Dodds, Maura Woodland-Medenilla and Vera Sjöberg established a Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Championship record with a first-place time of 8:39.22. Army West Point finished second at 8:39.91 behind strong efforts from Hannah Andrews, Alma Lazo Cazares, Cherokee Chambers and Mikayla Cheney. Lehigh’s quartet of Lauryn Heskin, Amber Barrios, Svea Wickelgren and Abby Klebe logged a third-place time of 8:46.01.

 

DAY ONE FIELD EVENT RECAPS

HAMMER THROW

Army West Point junior Robby Manse claimed the outdoor title in the hammer throw with a mark of 64.03m (210’ 1”) to win gold for the Black Knights. Bucknell’s Aiden Tucker secured a silver medal with a mark of 58.26 (191’ 2”) while Holy Cross’ Michael LaFlamme claimed a bronze medal finish on his home turf with a mark of 55.76m (182’ 11”).

 

In the women’s event, Boston University’s Ellie Roan finished first with a mark of 59.72m (195’ 11”). It was the second straight gold medal for Roan in the event. Kiana Emerson secured a silver medal for Army West Point with a 55.03m (180’ 6”) mark. Lehigh sophomore Avery Dowkus earned a bronze medal with a mark of 51.85m (170’ 1”).

 

POLE VAULT

Senior Brian McSweeney cleared 5.26m (17’ 3”) to earn 10 points for the Black Knights and earn gold in the event. Navy teammates Brian Schloeder (5.21m | 17’ 1”) and Gunnar Kimball (5.06m | 16’ 7.25”) rounded out the podium, finishing in second and third, respectively.

 

Navy sophomore Helen Emerick set a Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track and Field record in the pole vault clearing, 4.07m (13’ 4”). Holy Cross senior Maura Switzer and Boston University’s Alli Lofquist rounded out the podium, both clearing 3.97m (13’ 0.25”).

 

LONG JUMP

Colgate junior Cole Blair claimed a fourth-straight gold medal in the men’s outdoor long jump with a 7.60m (24’ 11.25”) leap. Blair is the first student-athlete to win four consecutive titles in the long jump in Patriot League history. Boston University seniors Samuel Roszak (7.53m | 24’ 8.5”) and Ryan Rosenberger (7.51m | 24’ 7.75”) earned silver and bronze, respectively, to earn 14 total points for the Terrier men.

 

Boston University swept the event for the second consecutive season, led by junior Peace Omonzane who established a new Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track and Field record with a 6.44m (21’ 1.5”) en route to her gold medal. Teammates Asia Hamilton (6.10m | 20’ 0.25”) and Emma Lawrence (6.07m | 19’ 11”) rounded out the podium in second and third.

 

JAVELIN

Owen Faula earned the first-ever men’s javelin gold medal at the Patriot League Championships in Boston University history. The junior logged a toss of 64.00m (210’) to win the event. Army West Point freshman Collin Torres finished second with a 63.22m (207’ 5”) mark, while Navy senior Caleb Walker finished third with a toss of 62.22m (204’ 1”).

 

Bucknell’s Evelyn Bliss repeated as the gold medalist with a toss of 53.77m (176’ 5”). The 2024 All-American won the event by nearly 20 feet. Teammate Brylee Tereska earned a silver medal with a toss of 47.92m (157’ 3”) for the Bison, while Navy’s Renny Murphy logged a bronze medal to round out her senior campaign with a mark of 44.98 (147’ 7”).

 

DAY ONE MULTIS UPDATE

HEPTATHLON

Holy Cross’ Celia Kulis leads the heptathlon after five events. The junior leads the field with 3,181 points, paced by a victory in the 100-meter hurdles. Army West Point senior Zoe Eggleston holds second-place honors after day one with 3,045 points, led by her victory in the 200m. Boston University’s Olivia Hughes won the high jump and ended the day in third place with 3,002 points.

 

DECATHLON

Steven Franco of Boston University leads the decathlon after winning the 400m and long jump on day one. The senior totaled 3,880 points across five events. Navy’s Thomas Christie won the high jump to pace his 3,631-point total to sit in second, while fellow Midshipman Nicolas Simmons logged a 100m win and 3,609 points, ending the day in third-place position.

 

Events at Hart Track continue tomorrow to close out the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Due to anticipated weather on Saturday evening, all events have been moved up by one hour. For an updated schedule of tomorrow’s event start times, please click here.

 

ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE

The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.

  

 

IRVINE, Calif. –    Sophomore Bridget Miller earns a spot on the All-Big West Second Team, while sophomore Chelsea Johnson, redshirt junior Gianna Nocetti, sophomore Sadie Henry, and senior Kelly Hungerford pick up the honorable mention titles.
 
After the 2024 season, Johnson and Miller were named to the All-Big West Freshman squad, while Nocetti has a repeat offense with the honorable mention title; making it the second year in a row that the trio earns conference nods. This is Hungerford’s first award after her knockout curtain closing season, and Henry’s first title as well.
 
The center from Ladera Ranch, California put up some impressive stats for the Aggies, posing as a consistent threat in the water to the other teams. Miller led the team in goals with 47 on the season, and added 8 assists, 15 steals, and drew a whopping 57 exclusions. She totaled up fifteen multi-goal games of the 28 played, scoring 4 against Cal Baptist, UC Merced, and Cal State Fullerton. A marksman in her craft, Miller has maintained a perfect shooting rate in the game five times this season as well.
 
Hungerford, originally rooted from Santa Ana, California, led the team in assists with 47 on the season; also breaking the Davis career assist record, now crowned at the top with 154. She has also put up 20 goals, 45 steals, 14 drawn kickouts, and 14 field blocks. Hungerford had a monumental game versus UC Irvine, where she found the back of the net five times and added two assists to her stat line in the one game alone. She aided her teammates’ offense and made five assists on two separate occasions: versus Pacific and Cal State Monterey and has had five multi-goal games this season.
 
From Carmichael, California, Nocetti is notorious for her sprint winning and relentless attacker for the Aggies. With 38 goals on the season, she balanced that with 29 assists, 30 steals, 10 drawn exclusions, and five field blocks. She won 72 sprints for the Aggies, with an 86% success rate to begin the quarters off with a victory. She registered multi-goal game streaks on three separate occasions for the team and put up a season-high of four goals against Loyola Marymount.
 
Henry, the San Diego native is second behind Miller in goals with 44 to her name. The feisty attacker has also generated the wheel of offense for the Aggies with 9 assists, 51 drawn ejections, and has added 13 steals and 7 field blocks. She has logged five hat tricks on the season, four of which are coupled up in back-to-back matches. She has had 11 multi-goal games on the season, and has scored a career-high of five against Loyola Marymount. Most notably at the Triton Invite, she netted 14 goals across the four games the Aggies competed in.
 
Finally, from Brisbane, Australia, Johnson was the starting defender for the Ags, trusted to lead the team in minutes played with 582. Elevating her game beyond the defensive end, she has made 26 goals, 32 assists, 42 steals, 35 drawn ejections, and five field blocks. She tallied up tow hat tricks, one against Loyola Marymount and one against Stanford. She made a season’s best of four steals versus USC, showing off her ability to play both ends of the pool.
 
Miller is the 17th in Aggie history to make the second team’s roster, while the quartet of honorable mentions total the count up to 28.
 

NBC News wants to play a game that has not always interested the nation’s biggest purveyors of TV news.

As NBC Sports prepares its coverage for this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, NBC News’ digital outlet, NBCNews.com, will feature a hub that offers content from NBC Sports, access to NBC Sports’ free ad-supported streaming channel and sports coverage from a team NBC News has been building to cover sports. Also on hand: sports explainers from Steve Kornacki. The new sports hub will also surface in NBC News’ mobile app.

There is more to come, says Rebecca Blumenstein, president of editorial for NBC News. “We are combining NBC Sports’ deep expertise and exclusive content with the editorial strengths and wide reach of NBC News to establish a destination on NBCNews.com for smart, accessible sports coverage for a broad audience. Sports has a growing influence on American culture, and this collaboration comes as interest in major leagues, events, moments and athletes are greater than ever.”

At TV companies, sports coverage has often been the province of a network’s sports division. While local stations always feature a regular anchor for sports news, there’s rarely a break from David Muir on, say, “World News Tonight” for the scores of the day. Offering that, of course, could dissuade a viewer from wandering over to ESPN – like ABC News, part of Walt Disney — and watching an hour of “Sports Center.”

Nor have cable-news outlets devoted much time to sports coverage in recent years. CNN once made sports a staple of its lineup, with a nightly show anchored by Nick Charles called “Sports Tonight.” In a different era, CNN even launched a sports-news network, CNN/SI. And Fox News Media has tested sports concepts, launching a documentary about the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide in February for its Fox Nation streaming service.

There may be more reasons now to open a new playbook. Sports programming has become increasingly important to the economics of traditional media outlets — particularly NBC. The network already devotes Sunday nights to NFL football games, and will, thanks to the debut of a new rights deal with the NBA, add basketball as many as two nights per week (and a third on the Peacock streaming hub). Indeed, next February, NBC will feature hours of Winter Olympics coverage as well as a Super Bowl.

Other NBC News outlets have tried to follow the ball. At “Today,” co-anchors Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie have described an effort aimed at weaving more sports into the program, reflecting NBC’s ties to the NFL and the NBA.  Melvin has also taken part in Olympics coverage and is expected to do so again for next year’s Winter Olympics in Milan.

CNBC has in recent months also put a new focus on sports. The business-news outlet now operates a vertical devoted to the business of sports ,and its offering includes a weekly newsletter, events, data and even documentaries. The venture is a separate one from NBC News, and will likely remain so. CNBC is among the properties slated to be spun off into a new publicly traded company by the end of the year.

NBC News has launched an editorial team devoted to sports. Editor Greg Rosenstein joined from The Athletic, while Rohan Nadkarni came from Sports Illustrated. Andrew Greif, a former sports reporter for the Los Angeles Times, also contributes.

NBC News will next tackle the Preakness Stakes on May 17. “We’re excited to continue to build on this,” says Blumenstein.

Gulf Shores is the headquarters for the NCAA national championship tournament for beach volleyball. The Alabama beach town has hosted the tourney since its inception in 2016.

This year, the 16-team tourney is going on now through Sunday. Schedule, details and tickets are available here.

The tourney was not supposed to return to Gulf Shores this year. For the first time, it was slated for Huntington Beach, Calif. However, the Good Lord and the California fires of 2024 did not cooperate with that site, and the tourney unexpectedly returned to its Gulf Shores home.

Two SEC teams made the national tourney this year, LSU and Texas.

In the nine years of the tourney, one team has been dominant: the University of Southern California. The Lady Trojans have won six of the nine national championships, including the past four. This year, USC is back in Gulf Shores trying for a five-peat.

The games played are single elimination and involve 16 colleges that earned selection after the regular season. The final game to determine the national champion will be played on Sunday.

Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths.  He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].

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