Sports

WINONA STATE ANNOUNCES JENNIFER FLOWERS AS DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Published

7 months ago

May 15, 2025

WINONA STATE ANNOUNCES JENNIFER FLOWERS AS DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer R. Flowers as Director of Athletics, effective June 18, 2025.

Flowers brings more than two decades of athletics experience to Winona State, along with a desire to continue the Warriors’ reputation as one of the premiere intercollegiate athletic programs in the nation.

“We’re proud to welcome Jen to the Winona State community of learners,” said Dr. Kenneth Janz, President of Winona State University. “Her dedication to excellence and student-centered leadership will be a great addition to our campus and to our Warriors athletics program.”

Flowers is the first female Director of Athletics in Winona State University history to oversee both the women’s and men’s programs. As Director of Athletics she will provide administrative leadership for the university’s comprehensive athletics program and collaborate across the university community to foster a culture of student athlete success. Flowers will work to align university athletics with Winona State’s strategic priorities and external relations endeavors, including fundraising, marketing promotions and public relations. Her leadership as Director of Athletics will be critical to university compliance with applicable laws including Title IX, and NCAA and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rules and regulations.

“I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to return to Winona State to lead the Athletics Department. Winona State is an incredibly special place for myself and my family,” said Flowers.

“I want to thank President Janz, Vice President Olson, and the Search Committee for their work in this process and for their belief in me. Being named the Athletic Director at my Alma Mater is a dream come true. I’m excited to work alongside our student-athletes, coaches, and campus community to build on the tradition and values that define Warrior Athletics.”

Flowers comes to Winona State following three years as the Director of Athletics at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), during which time her vision and passion for SMSU student-athlete’s academic and athletic success made a major impact within the SMSU campus and Marshall community. SMSU student-athletes set a department record cumulative GPA of 3.31 during the 2024 Fall semester.

Flowers also has been actively involved with various regional and national committees during her career, and in January 2025 she was named to the NCAA Division II Management Council.

In her previous role as Commissioner for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (July 2019-June 2022), Flowers oversaw the eight-team Division I women’s hockey league, including all areas of the league’s operations and staffing. The 2022 season included the formation of a revolutionary partnership between the WCHA and the Big Ten Network as the league embarked on an exclusive streaming partnership with B1G+. Increasing the exposure and visibility of the league at a national level, Flowers also bridged broadcasting partnerships with Fox9+ for the Final Faceoff and Bally Sports North throughout the season.

Continuing to grow the WCHA’s external relations, the 2021-22 year included Flowers’ announcement of the largest sponsorship deals for the Final Faceoff championship in league history along with a fresh website partnership with SIDEARM Sports. Flowers’ vision for the league continued to build through campus relations with her coaching staffs and student-athletes, along with historic growth of the WCHA’s social media presence.

During her prior appointment as Assistant Commissioner for Membership Services for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (August 2016-July 2019), Flowers focused on the internal service of the membership and league stakeholders. She served as the office liaison in support of the NSIC senior women’s administrators, faculty athletic representatives, Student-Athlete Advisory Committees and officials coordinators.

Flowers was responsible for assisting with strategic plan implementation with a commitment to academics and life skills, athletics operations and compliance, diversity and inclusion, game day, championships, membership and positioning. She had championship oversight of volleyball, swimming & diving, basketball and softball. Flowers was also closely involved in sponsorship and corporate partner initiatives.

Flowers coordinated the launch of the league’s SAAC Cup, which was designed to encourage engagement of campus Student-Athlete Advisory Councils. She developed and implemented the NSIC Women’s Coaches Symposium in 2017, which has since been rebranded the NSIC Women’s Leadership Symposium. Flowers also oversaw the creation of the NSIC Elite 18 Award, which recognizes the student-athlete with the top GPA in each of the league’s sponsored sports.

Prior to her tenure at the NSIC, Flowers worked at Winona State as the Associate Athletic director and Senior Woman Administrator from 2012-15. She also had a stint at Winona State from 2006-09. Flowers oversaw internal aspects of the department, including compliance and budget coordination along with athletic department scheduling. She was the department’s liaison to the Winona State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well.

Flowers began her career in intercollegiate athletics during the 2004-05 academic year at the University of Minnesota where she was the Assistant to the Associate Athletic Director. She was the Assistant Championship Manager for four NCAA Championships, one WCHA Championship, and also was the Assistant Game Director for Minnesota’s Music City Bowl appearance in 2004.

Following her year at Minnesota, Flowers served as an assistant women’s basketball and volleyball coach at Simpson College during the 2005-06 season. She helped guide Simpson’s women’s basketball team to the Iowa Conference regular season and tournament championships while equaling the program’s record for wins in a season. She also helped guide the volleyball program to a 21-14 record and a second-place finish at the conference tournament.

Flowers was a four-year letter winner in volleyball at Winona State from 1999-2002, where she was a two-year captain, two-time all-conference honoree and a three-time Academic All-NSIC selection.

Flowers earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with an emphasis in middle school mathematics, from Winona State University, and her master’s degree in education, recreation, park & leisure studies from the University of Minnesota.

Flowers and her husband, Jonte – a three-time Winona State Hall of Fame inductee – have one daughter, Ayanna, and one son, Kellen.

All are invited to a special media event from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, May 16, in Baldwin Lounge, Kryzsko Commons. You will have the opportunity to welcome Winona State’s new Diretor of Athletics in person, followed by brief comments and a Q&A.

Noon to 12:15 p.m. – Announcement of Winona State’s New Director of Athletics
12:15 to 12:30 p.m. – Comments and Q&A with Jennifer Flowers
12:30 to 1 p.m. – Refreshments, Interview and Photo Opportunities

For more information contact the Winona State Marketing and Communications Office at 507-457-5024.

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Sports

2025 NCAA volleyball live updates: Bracket, schedule, highlights

Published

15 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 9:04 p.m. ET

The NCAA Division I volleyball tournament’s second round concludes on Saturday.

No. 1 seeds Nebraska, Texas and Pitt all swept their first round matches and play again Saturday. Kentucky, the fourth No. 1 defeated No. 8 UCLA in the second round on Friday to advance to the Sweet 16.

Cal Poly defeated No. 4 seed USC in the second round of the tournament play on Friday, the biggest upset of the tournament thus far. Stanford also got an early scare from Utah Valley, losing the first set before rallying. Cardinal setter Logan Parks did not play in the match.

The 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s the third time since 2010 that the venue, formerly known as the Sprint Center, has hosted the volleyball national championship.

What time is NCAA volleyball tournament?

Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Start time: Eight matches, beginning at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. Match-by-match times below.

How to watch NCAA volleyball tournament

The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will air across the ESPN and ABC family of networks. All first- and second-round games can be found streaming on ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament live with Fubo (free trial)

Follow along with USA TODAY Sports for live updates, scores and schedule for the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament:

Live results of Saturday’s NCAA women’s volleyball tournament

Minnesota 2, Iowa State 0

The Gophers win the first two sets 25-22, 25-21.

SMU 1, Florida 0

The Mustangs win the first match 25-11.

TCU 1, Texas A&M 1

The teams are knotted at one set each.

Nebraska 1, Kansas State 0

Nebraska goes for the it’s 32nd win of the season.

Texas 3, Penn State 0

Texas eliminates defending champion Penn State, 25-16, 25-9, 25-19.

Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0

No. 1 seed Pitt won 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 to eliminate Michigan.

Louisville 3, Marquette 2

Louisville staved off an upset 21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12.

NCAA volleyball second-round matchups, game times

The second round concludes Saturday Dec. 6.

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, No. 8 UCLA 1 (30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17)
No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 UNI 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Austin bracket

No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0 (25-14, 25-21, 27-25)
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 2 Stanford vs. Arizona, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 3 Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18)
No. 2 SMU vs. Florida, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday

Lincoln bracket

No. 4 Kansas 3, No. 5 Miami 1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Marquette 2 (21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12)
No. 1 Nebraska vs. Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 TCU, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday

NCAA volleyball first-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-12)
No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10)
Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2 (25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10)
No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0, (25-19, 25-12, 25-13)
No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2 (12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15)
No. 6 Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2 (15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10)
Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2 (25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12)

Austin bracket

No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0 (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)
No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1 (25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)
No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-11, 25-6, 25-19)
North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21)
Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 1 Pitt 3, UMBC 0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-13)
Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-23)
No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-13)
No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2 (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10)
Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-19)
No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-13)

Lincoln bracket

No. 1 Nebraska 3, LIU 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17)
Kansas State 3, San Diego 2 (21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12)
No. 5 Miami 3, Tulsa 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20)
No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-13)
No. 6 TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-20)
Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-12)

NCAA volleyball tournament rounds

Second round: Dec. 6
Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
National championship: 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 21

All games on ESPN Unlimited, ESPN, ABC

NCAA volleyball games Friday

Cal Poly 3, USC 2

Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Final: Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1

No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Final: Arizona State 3, Utah State 1

No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)

Final: Nebraska 3, Long Island University 0

No. 1 Nebraska swept Long Island University 25-11, 25-15, 25-17

Final: No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0

No. 3 Wisconsin swept North Carolina 25-14, 25-21, 27-25

Final: No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 UNI 1

No. 3 Creighton defeated No. 6 UNI 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21

Final: No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0

No. 4 Minnesota swept Fairfield 25-12, 25-7, 25-13

Final: Texas 3, Florida A&M

No. 1 Texas swept Florida A&M (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)

Final: Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1

Arizona defeated No. 7 South Dakota State 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15

Final: Kentucky 3, UCLA 1

No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 UCLA 30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17

Final: Kansas 3, Miami 1

No. 4 Kansas defeated No. 5 Miami (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)

Final: Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0

Texas A&M swept Campbell 25-20, 25-10, 25-13

Final: SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0

No. 2 SMU swept Central Arkansas 25-13, 25-13, 25-13

Final: Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1

No. 3 Purdue defeated No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)

Final: No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0

No. 4 Indiana swept No. 5 Colorado (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)

Final: Kansas State 3, San Diego 2

Kansas State defeated No. 8 San Diego 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12

Final: Pitt 3, UMBC 0

No. 1 Pitt swept UMBC 25-10, 25-17, 25-13

Final: Penn State 3, South Florida 1

No. 8 Penn State defeated South Florida 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19

No. 8 Penn State took the first set 25-23, while South Florida took the second set 25-12. The defending champions won the third set 25-21 and the fourth 25-19 to win, 3-1.

Final: Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2

No. 5 Iowa State defeated St. Thomas-Minnesota 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

St. Thomas took the first set 25-21, while Iowa State took the second, 25-13, and third, 25-16. St. Thomas forced a decisive fifth set by taking the fourth 25-21, but Iowa State closed it out 15-8 in the fifth.

Final: Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0

No. 2 Louisville swept Loyola Chicago 25-17, 25-9, 25-12.

Final: TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0

No. 6 TCU swept Stephen F. Austin 25-8, 26-24, 25-20.

Final: Florida 3, Rice 0

Florida swept No. 7 Rice 27-25, 25-23, 25-19.

Final: Michigan 3, Xavier 0

Michigan swept No. 8 Xavier 25-19, 25-15, 25-23

Final: Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0

Marquette swept No. 7 Western Kentucky 25-22, 25-21, 25-16.

NCAA volleyball games Thursday

Final: USC 3, Princeton 0

No. 3 seed USC swept Princeton 25-19, 25-12, 25-13

Final: Kentucky 3, Wofford 0

No. 1 Kentucky swept Wofford 25-11, 25-19, 25-12

Final: Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0

No. 2 Arizona State swept Coppin State 25-11, 25-14, 25-12

Final: Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0

No. 3 Wisconsin swept Eastern Illinois 25-11, 25-6, 25-19

Final: Purdue 3, Wright State 0

No. 3 Purdue swept Wright State 25-13, 25-21, 25-19

Final: Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2

No. 3 Creighton swept Northern Colorado 12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15

Final: Kansas 3, High Point 0

No. 4 Kansas swept High Point 25-20, 25-15, 25-18

Final: Cal Poly 3, BYU 2

Cal Poly defeated No. 5 BYU 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10

Final: Utah State 3, Tennessee 2

Utah State defeated No. 7 Tennessee 25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11

Final: North Carolina 3, UTEP 1

North Carolina downed No. 6 UTEP 24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21

Final: Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2

No. 6 Northern Iowa defeated Utah 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10

Final: UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2

No. 8 UCLA defeated Georgia Tech 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10

Final: Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2

No. 6 Baylor defeated Arkansas State 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10

Final: Miami 3, Tulsa 1

No. 5 Miami defeated Tulsa 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20

Final: Indiana 3, Toledo 0

No. 4 Indiana swept Toledo 25-18, 25-15, 25-17

Final: Colorado 3, American University 0

Colorado eliminated American 25-16, 25-19, 25-16

NCAA volleyball tournament automatic qualifiers

Here’s a look at the 31 teams that earned automatic berths to the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament by virtue of winning their conferences:

ACC: Stanford
American: Tulsa
American East: UMBC
Atlantic Sun: Central Arkansas
Atlantic 10: Loyola Chicago
Big East: Creighton
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big Ten: Nebraska
Big 12: Arizona State
Big West: Cal Poly
CAA: Campbell
Conference USA: Western Kentucky
Horizon: Wright State
Ivy: Princeton
MAAC: Fairfield
MAC: Toledo
MEAC: Coppin State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Utah State
NEC: LIU
Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois
Patriot: American
SEC: Kentucky
SoCon: Wofford
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Florida A&M
Summit: St. Thomas
Sun Belt: Arkansas State
WAC: Utah Valley
WCC: San Diego

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Emma Reaves Breaks Own School Record in Tri-Meet with URI, Stonehill

Published

44 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

KINGSTON, R.I. — Sophomore thrower Emma Reaves (Westminster, Md.) placed first in the shot put, headlining the women’s track and field team’s first-place finish in the team’s tri-meet with the University of Rhode Island and Stonehill College, winning with 104 points.

UNH’s men’s track and field team finished in third with 89 points, while URI won the meet with 96 points and Stonehill closed with 91 points.

In addition to Reaves’ win, the following Wildcats placed:

Women’s Long Jump
- Sophomore Sarah Moore (Lisbon, Maine), first place (5.75m)
- Graduate student Autumn Agri (Stratham, N.H.), second place (5.35m)
- Junior Audrey Thornton (Freedom, N.H.), third place (5.28m)

Men’s Long Jump
- Freshman Rio Calle (Weare, N.H.), fourth place (7.01m)

Women’s Triple Jump

Men’s Triple Jump
- Sophomore Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine), third place (14.60m)

Women’s Shot Put
- Reaves, first place (14.38m)
- Freshman Payton Goulding (Cumberland, R.I.), third place (11.86m)
- Sophomore Ruby Prentiss (Falmouth, Maine), sixth place (11.13m)

Men’s Shot Put

Women’s Weight Throw
- Reaves, first place (17.87m)
- Goulding, third place (15.23m)
- Junior Briana Danis (Hooksett, N.H.), fifth place (15.06m)
- Prentiss, sixth place (14.31m)1.5

Men’s Weight Throw
- Senior Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), first place (19.79m)
- Abaka-Amuah, second place (19.53m)
- Senior Jack Washam (Nashua, N.H.), third place (17.73m)

Women’s High Jump

Men’s High Jump
- Junior Gunnar Sokol (Berwick, Maine), seventh (1.90m)
- Sophomore Samuel Grube (Dover, N.H.), ninth (1.90m)

Men’s Pole Vault

Men’s 1 Mile

Women’s 60m Hurdles

Women’s 600m Run

Men’s 600m Run
- Sophomore James Gecek (High Bridge, N.J.), seventh (1:25.58)

Women’s 60m Dash
- Nada, first (7.71)
- Moore, second (7.72)
- Thornton, third (7.88)
- Sophomore Eva Roberts (Derry, N.H.), fifth (7.92)

Men’s 1000m Run

Women’s 300m Dash
- Thornton, second (42.43)
- Sophomore Brooke White (Barnet, Vt.), fifth (42.90)
- Senior Liliana Chirichella (Troy, N.H.), seventh (43.66)
- Roberts, ninth (45.25)

Women’s 3000m Run
- Senior Claire Ronan (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), first (10:09.32)
- Senior Carolyn Day (Wolfeboro, N.H.), third (10:37.08)

Men’s 3000m Run

Women’s 4x400m Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Chirichella, Hickey, Dillon, Agri), second (4:08.42)

Men’s 4×400 Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Gecek, Daniel Anderson [Naugatuck, Conn.], Calle, Lesniak), fourth (3:28.38)

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ACU Heads to College Station for First Meet of the Indoor Season

Published

60 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The ACU track and field team opens its indoor season by competing in the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational on the campus of Texas A&M on Saturday. The meet will be a low-key meet designed to get in some competition before the Christmas break.

Joining ACU and host Texas A&M in the field will be Baylor, Sam Houston State, SMU, and UTSA.

This meet will be the first competition for several newcomers to the program. There are plans to have three 4×400 relays for the women and the men and some of the newcomers will only run on the relays this weekend.

ACU entries for the men include: 60 (Horatio Brooks); 300 (Gage Heighten); 1000 (Evan Martin); Mile (Benjamin Castro, Vincent Luffey); 3,000 (Mark Barajas, Carlos Cortez); 60 hurdles (Canaan Fairley, Miguel Hall); high jump (Canaan Fairley); long jump (Horatio Brooks); weight throw (Rhet Punt, Matthew Udemba).

There will also be a large relay pool to fill out the three 4×400 relays and this pool includes newcomers who will only be competing in the relays – Durrell Collins, Abraham Olufemi-Dada, Nickens Lemba – and two returnees also running solely on the relays this weekend – Ethan Krause and Ryan McMeen.

ACU entries for the women include: 60 (Lauren Foxworth, Darinasia Taylor, Kee’Lani Whitlock, Neriah Williams, Morgan Morris, Halle Gunter, Jaeden Thomas); 300 (Morgan Morris, Kaycian Johnson); 600 (Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, Gracee Whiteaker, Jalyn Childers); 1000 (Emma Santoro); Mile (Lola Buentello); 60 hurdles (Hana Banks, Nele Huth, Natalie Poe, Skyla Riedel); high jump (Kaia Anderson, Kennadi Payne, Natalie Poe); long jump (Halle Gunter, Nele Huth, Skyla Riedel, Jaeden Thomas); shot put (Sterling Glenn, Ciara Tilley, Mariana Van Dyk); weight throw (Sterling Glenn, Mariana Van Dyk).

Because the McFerrin Invitational will not have a triple jump in the meet, two Wildcats took part in the OU Winter Field Fest. Arthur Jenkins recorded a 14.94m triple jump, while Mackenzie Flaugher went 11.70m.

The McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational will be held in the Murray Fasken Indoor Track on the Texas A&M campus. The field events will begin at 2 p.m. and the running events at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach Miles Smith: I’m excited to see our kids compete. They have been working hard. We have a lot of newcomers who are getting their first taste of collegiate competition, so it will be fun to watch them compete. Our goal is to come out healthy and learn what we need to work on over the next few weeks before the bulk of our season kicks off in mid-January.

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Petitjean, Weber Set Personal Bests In Boston

Published

1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season with two members of its distance squad competing at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Saturday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.

Senior Sarah Petitjean led the Phoenix in the 3,000 meters, posting a personal-best time of 9:49.97 to place 52nd in a field of 95 runners.

In the 5,000 meters, junior Hannah Weber also set a personal record with a time of 16:29, improving her previous best by nearly three seconds.

ON DECK
Elon will be idle for the winter break before returning to competition on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex.

— ELON —

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Mountaineers Set New 4×400-Meter Relay Meet Record at Indoor Season Opener

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The App State women’s track and field team opened the 2025-26 indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off on Saturday. A new meet record, set by the 4×400-meter relay quartet of junior Nicole Wells, seniors Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz and Daye Talley, and junior Jayla Adams, punctuated the day’s action.

“This was a great season opener for all event groups to knock the rust off from months ago. The athletes are really motivated to be back from break and start the season.” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “Expectations are high this season, so we have to stay motivated on an elite level to be competitive.”

Wells, Alejandro-Ortiz, Talley, and Adams stopped the clock at 3:45.76 for a new meet record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The previous meet record was 3:49.07, set in 2021 by Duke’s Jenna Crean, Lauren Hoffman, Megan McGinnis, and Kiara Ekeigwe. The Mountaineers were two seconds shy of the App State school record of 3:43.85, which was set at the 2023 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Earlier in the afternoon, Adams and Talley finished third (24.39) and fifth (24.77), respectively, in the women’s seeded 200 meters. Adams remains third in the App State all-time list with her personal best of 24.22, which she set during the 2024 campaign. In the women’s unseeded 200 meters, sophomore Kaitlyn McLeod placed fifth with a time of 25.04.

In her collegiate indoor debut, freshman Alana Braxton posted a pair of first place finishes in the women’s triple jump (12.32m (40′ 5″)) and women’s long jump (5.87m (19′ 3.25″)). Fellow freshman Ashlynn Wimberly landed second with a leap of 12.14m (39′ 10″) and sophomore Jahaila Wright placed sixth with a leap of 11.60m (38′ 0.75″) in the women’s triple jump. With a leap of 5.31m (17′ 5.25″) freshman Kelly MacBride rounded out the top 10 in the women’s long jump.

Senior Ava Studney placed first in the women’s pole vault, recording a clearance of 3.95m (12′ 11.5″).

Junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a time of 7.50 in the women’s 60 meters, coming within 0.08 of her personal best and program record of 7.42, which she set at last season’s SBC Indoor Championships. Wells rounded out the top 10 in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.73.

With a time of 2:18.09, senior Addison Ollendick-Smith placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters. Ollendick-Smith, who stands second all-time in the program record book, was seven seconds shy of her personal best of 2:11.13, which she set last season.

With a personal best toss of 14.70m (48′ 2.75″), junior Dianna Boykin placed eighth in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore Emily Edwards placed eighth with a toss of 12.17m (39′ 11.25″) in the women’s shot put and rounded out the top 10 in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 14.03m (46′ 0.5″).

Up Next

The Mountaineers will resume the indoor track and field season with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International on Jan. 10.

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Sports

No. 2 seed ASU volleyball advances to Sweet 16 in NCAA Tournament

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3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 11:15 p.m. MT

One step closer.

No. 2 seed Arizona State volleyball is back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.

The Sun Devils defeated Utah State in four sets (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Dec. 5.

“It was really special for me,” senior outside hitter Bailey Miller said. “I was one of the only ones last year when we got upset (in the second round), so I think going into it, all the girls just wanted to recognize all the girls who didn’t get to go to the Sweet 16 last year and took it seriously. It was really special.”

ASU’s return to the Sweet 16 offers a sweeter follow-up to last season’s second-round exit after the Sun Devils earned a hosting bid for the first two rounds. As painful as it was for coach JJ Van Niel, he chose not to let last year cloud the current success.

“I don’t reflect back,” Van Niel said. “That’s negative, but it’s just moving forward. Every year is a new shot, but last year was very painful. Mostly, because I didn’t think we played our best volleyball.”

With few players remaining from last year, Van Niel wasn’t sure how ASU’s season would go and if they’d repeat as Big 12 champions and NCAA Tournament hosts. But his team has done both and added more with a Sweet 16 berth.

“I really had no idea this year what we were going to look like,” Van Niel said. “It’s 100% a new lineup and I’m really proud of these kids because they’ve fought and they’ve scrapped. They’ve all gotten better through the year and they’ve earned this Sweet 16, it’s a really special group.”

What was key for ASU was their defense against a scrappy team that rarely went down in one swing. The Sun Devils were up to the task as they benefited from USU’s 21 attack errors.

USU’s strong offense forced ASU’s middle blockers to front the middle, exploiting their right-side players. While the middle blockers didn’t get as many kills as they did in the first round, it opened the floor for Miller, Noemie Glover and Tatum Parrott.

Miller led ASU with 18 kills on .471 hitting and two errors, a stark improvement from her first-round performance. Glover didn’t commit any errors and had 17 kills on .531 hitting. Parrott added 13 kills.

ASU was serving well again as the Aggies sided out 56.3% of the time, including less than half the time in the first set. Miller’s three aces helped ASU finish with a 7-5 advantage in service aces.

“They’re a great offensive team and their middle (blockers) were very active,” Miller said. “We haven’t really seen a lot of that, so it definitely took some adjusting. But in the end, that’s our bread and butter, being able to adjust and be ready.”

The Aggies got their first lead since early in the first set when they started with an 8-5 edge over ASU in the third set. Instead of putting them away like in the first two sets, ASU had trouble against USU’s attack.

As the third set neared the end, neither side scored twice for six consecutive points until USU got a 24-22 lead over ASU. The Aggies then scored off a bad set from ASU’s Sydney Henry.

The Aggies were strong to start the fourth set, but ASU’s 6-0 run midway through the set helped the Sun Devils gain the separation needed and eliminate them.

The Sun Devils will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, and play No. 3 Creighton in the regional hosted by No. 1 seed Kentucky, either Dec. 12 or 13.

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